Photo: Florin Profir/autoevolution
A recent General Motors announcement made many potential customers threaten to jump ship after the company decided to block Android Auto and CarPlay in select models starting in 2024.
GM will no longer allow mobile phone projection in its EVs, beginning with the 2024 Blazer EV, as it makes the switch to Android Automotive.
The Google-owned operating system will be pre-loaded on GM's future EVs, and the American carmaker promises that an embedded solution would offer far more advanced capabilities than Android Auto and CarPlay.
One of them is support for games. Google has recently announced that games would make their way to Android Automotive later this year, with titles like Beach Buggy Racing 2, Solitaire FRVR, and My Talking Tom Friends to pioneer the new feature's debut.
While games on Android Automotive could be used by GM as living proof that its platform for choice is better than Android Auto and CarPlay, worth knowing is that games have been available for Google users for quite some. GameSnacks debuted on Android Auto a long time ago, and Google says nearly a million people play the games included in this collection monthly.
This is one of the reasons the search giant decided to bring them to Android Automotive as well, with GM's models among those to benefit from this "upgrade."
On the other hand, Android Automotive could eventually open the door for more advanced gaming titles, though it remains to be seen if this is a direction that Google wants to explore. Playing games in a car is still a taboo subject, so the search firm most likely wants to handle the whole thing cautiously.
On Android Auto, titles in the GameSnacks collection are available only when the vehicle is parked. As such, playing games while driving isn't possible for obvious reasons. The same thing will happen on Android Automotive, so drivers can only play the new games when they're not in motion. Given Android Automotive is mostly available in electric vehicles, games would certainly come in handy while waiting to charge the battery.
Google looks very committed to improving the entertainment side of Android Automotive. In addition to games, YouTube is also making its way to the operating system. The application will first go live in select Volvo and Polestar models but will most likely expand to the rest of Android Automotive-powered vehicles shortly. With the YouTube app, drivers will be able to watch videos while parked. It's not clear yet if Google wants to allow the audio to continue in the background when the vehicle starts moving.
The new games on Android Automotive will start rolling out later this year, with additional information to be shared closer to launch.
The Google-owned operating system will be pre-loaded on GM's future EVs, and the American carmaker promises that an embedded solution would offer far more advanced capabilities than Android Auto and CarPlay.
One of them is support for games. Google has recently announced that games would make their way to Android Automotive later this year, with titles like Beach Buggy Racing 2, Solitaire FRVR, and My Talking Tom Friends to pioneer the new feature's debut.
While games on Android Automotive could be used by GM as living proof that its platform for choice is better than Android Auto and CarPlay, worth knowing is that games have been available for Google users for quite some. GameSnacks debuted on Android Auto a long time ago, and Google says nearly a million people play the games included in this collection monthly.
This is one of the reasons the search giant decided to bring them to Android Automotive as well, with GM's models among those to benefit from this "upgrade."
On the other hand, Android Automotive could eventually open the door for more advanced gaming titles, though it remains to be seen if this is a direction that Google wants to explore. Playing games in a car is still a taboo subject, so the search firm most likely wants to handle the whole thing cautiously.
On Android Auto, titles in the GameSnacks collection are available only when the vehicle is parked. As such, playing games while driving isn't possible for obvious reasons. The same thing will happen on Android Automotive, so drivers can only play the new games when they're not in motion. Given Android Automotive is mostly available in electric vehicles, games would certainly come in handy while waiting to charge the battery.
Google looks very committed to improving the entertainment side of Android Automotive. In addition to games, YouTube is also making its way to the operating system. The application will first go live in select Volvo and Polestar models but will most likely expand to the rest of Android Automotive-powered vehicles shortly. With the YouTube app, drivers will be able to watch videos while parked. It's not clear yet if Google wants to allow the audio to continue in the background when the vehicle starts moving.
The new games on Android Automotive will start rolling out later this year, with additional information to be shared closer to launch.
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