Photo: Google
Back in the summer of 2021, Google announced a change that took many by surprise. Android Auto for phones, the application that essentially allowed users to experience the magic of Android Auto on their mobile devices directly, was getting the ax in the favor of the all-new Google Assistant driving mode.
The transition started with Android 12, which launched without Android Auto for phones and instead offered the driving mode as the default experience for those who wanted a UI optimized for cars.
On the other hand, Android Auto for phones continued to be available and work on devices running older Android versions, though everybody knew it was only a matter of time until Google started the transition to the driving mode here as well.
It now looks like the time has come for Android 10 and Android 11, as users have started seeing notifications that “Android Auto for phone screens will stop working soon.”
The warning is displayed when launching the app on a mobile device, and while no further specifics are provided in the notification, the purpose is obviously to direct users to the all-new driving mode.
An official announcement on this front isn’t yet available, but most likely, the demise of Android Auto for phones, which continues to be up for grabs from the Google Play Store for devices running older Android, will take place in stages. An ETA as to when the process is scheduled to be complete isn’t known, but there’s a chance the end of support would be entirely pulled by the end of the year.
In the meantime, not everybody is happy with the driving mode, and users keep insisting on Google giving Android Auto for phones another chance.
Of course, this isn’t going to happen, and in the long term, the driving mode, which is built entirely around Google Maps, is Google’s main focus on mobile devices.
On the other hand, Android Auto for phones continued to be available and work on devices running older Android versions, though everybody knew it was only a matter of time until Google started the transition to the driving mode here as well.
It now looks like the time has come for Android 10 and Android 11, as users have started seeing notifications that “Android Auto for phone screens will stop working soon.”
The warning is displayed when launching the app on a mobile device, and while no further specifics are provided in the notification, the purpose is obviously to direct users to the all-new driving mode.
An official announcement on this front isn’t yet available, but most likely, the demise of Android Auto for phones, which continues to be up for grabs from the Google Play Store for devices running older Android, will take place in stages. An ETA as to when the process is scheduled to be complete isn’t known, but there’s a chance the end of support would be entirely pulled by the end of the year.
In the meantime, not everybody is happy with the driving mode, and users keep insisting on Google giving Android Auto for phones another chance.
Of course, this isn’t going to happen, and in the long term, the driving mode, which is built entirely around Google Maps, is Google’s main focus on mobile devices.
Google News