Following Apple’s footprints, Google just unveiled its production version Android Auto interface, making its first step towards a future of unified infotainment systems. However, unlike its rival, Android will be available for over 40 different automakers and the first vehicles to support the system will reach dealerships this year.
As promised, the Android Auto interface looks extraordinarily simple to use. Basically, you connect your smartphone, the infotainment detects it and basically echoes some of the phone’s features on the big screen, while simplifying the commands and the graphics to distract you less from driving.
The whole interface runs from your phone, so it won’t depend on the performance sheet of your infotainment system. Basically, what Google did was to make the infotainment recognize the mirroring feature and connect the dash/steering wheel commands with it.
Android Auto will include voice controlled navigation, music streaming (local and online), messaging, calls and Google Now, all using the same graphics and functions you already got used to from your smartphone. So you won’t need to learn your way through a whole new system again, not even if you’ll change your car.
The new system is the first project to come out of the newly formed Open Automotive Alliance, which means that at least Audi, General Motors, Honda and Hyundai vehicles will soon be compatible with the feature. However, they didn’t said which will be first to come this year.
On the other hand, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Toyota have already committed to use Apple’s Car Play. But our take on this is that all manufacturers will have to support both systems in the near future if they want to avoid sales drops. You won’t make an Android user switch over to Apple that easy...
In the meantime, have a glance at the system’s interface and see how it works in the video bellow.
Google News