Photo: autoevolution/Google
Google continues the work on Android Auto, and a few minutes ago, the company shipped another beta build to users who are part of its testing program.
The first Android Auto 8.4 build is therefore available for download right now, with the rollout to production devices likely to kick off in early November.
As per Google’s typical approach, a changelog hasn’t been provided, so it’s hard to tell what’s new in this update. However, these releases are very often focused on bug fixes and additional polishing for the overall experience, so don’t expect anything big right now.
But getting back to the question in the headline, let’s talk Coolwalk.
Announced at I/O earlier this year, Coolwalk is one of the most anticipated Android Auto updates ever. It brings a card-based refresh to Android Auto, essentially making it possible to run multiple apps side by side on the same screen, regardless of the display size and aspect ratio. In many ways, Coolwalk is similar to the CarPlay dashboard, putting the focus on essential apps for the time spent behind the wheel, such as navigation, phone calls, and music players.
Google originally promised to launch Coolwalk in the summer, but here we are in late October, and this major release is still nowhere to be seen. The company has obviously missed the release target, and even worse, it has remained completely tight-lipped on a new ETA.
What we do know, however, is that the code to activate Coolwalk is already baked into Android Auto, and this is the reason many people keep an eye on these new app updates. However, a new version of Android Auto isn’t required to activate Coolwalk, as what Google needs is to flip a server-side switch for the whole thing. In other words, Coolwalk would start rolling out to users when Google believes it’s ready, and right now, there’s no timing information on this front.
As per Google’s typical approach, a changelog hasn’t been provided, so it’s hard to tell what’s new in this update. However, these releases are very often focused on bug fixes and additional polishing for the overall experience, so don’t expect anything big right now.
But getting back to the question in the headline, let’s talk Coolwalk.
Announced at I/O earlier this year, Coolwalk is one of the most anticipated Android Auto updates ever. It brings a card-based refresh to Android Auto, essentially making it possible to run multiple apps side by side on the same screen, regardless of the display size and aspect ratio. In many ways, Coolwalk is similar to the CarPlay dashboard, putting the focus on essential apps for the time spent behind the wheel, such as navigation, phone calls, and music players.
Google originally promised to launch Coolwalk in the summer, but here we are in late October, and this major release is still nowhere to be seen. The company has obviously missed the release target, and even worse, it has remained completely tight-lipped on a new ETA.
What we do know, however, is that the code to activate Coolwalk is already baked into Android Auto, and this is the reason many people keep an eye on these new app updates. However, a new version of Android Auto isn’t required to activate Coolwalk, as what Google needs is to flip a server-side switch for the whole thing. In other words, Coolwalk would start rolling out to users when Google believes it’s ready, and right now, there’s no timing information on this front.
Google News