Photo: Google
Android Auto will soon get several big features, including support for the phone's wallpaper and stock icon pack.
Like several other Google applications, Android Auto will also become a target for AI expansion, with the search giant planning to rely on artificial intelligence to provide users with new-generation communication capabilities.
Announced a few days ago, the AI integration in Android Auto has quietly started rolling out for users enrolled in the beta program, generating message summaries for long messages or group chats.
The feature is supposed to make staying in touch with what others say on your messaging app more convenient while driving.
AI reads your long messages and automatically generates a summary to give you the essential bits. The same process will run for busy group chats where several contacts exchange messages, as AI will step in, see what everyone has to say and create a summary that lets you send a reply with a tap on the screen.
Artificial intelligence will also join Android Auto with more options in smart replies. Depending on the messages you receive, Android Auto will generate custom replies and let you share your ETA with a contact via Google Maps. The options will appear in the smart replies screen when responding to a received message.
Android Auto will soon be updated with support for mobile phone wallpapers. Google has offered support for wallpapers on Android Auto for several years, but the feature has been limited to backgrounds pre-loaded with the app. With this update, Google unlocks third-party wallpapers by bringing the feature in sync with the mobile device. The same background used on a mobile device will appear on the infotainment screen, too, creating more consistency between devices.
Google will also allow the default icon pack on Samsung devices to migrate to Android Auto, replacing the design currently used by the app. The feature only supports Samsung icons and the default icon pack on the device, though it's unclear if the company plans to expand it to more Android OEMs and eventually support third-party icon packs.
The option to let AI create message summaries has appeared in the beta channel for users running Android Auto 11.1, but it's unclear when the search giant plans to begin the rollout for production devices. Not everybody in the beta channels sees the new option in settings, likely as the rollout is still in the early phases and Google is particularly interested in feedback. The stable version of Android Auto 11.1, already available for download as of last week, does not include the option.
However, it could also be tied to a server-side switch, so installing Android Auto 11.1 (beta or stable) does not guarantee you'll get a chance to try it out. Only English is supported for now for message summaries.
Announced a few days ago, the AI integration in Android Auto has quietly started rolling out for users enrolled in the beta program, generating message summaries for long messages or group chats.
The feature is supposed to make staying in touch with what others say on your messaging app more convenient while driving.
AI reads your long messages and automatically generates a summary to give you the essential bits. The same process will run for busy group chats where several contacts exchange messages, as AI will step in, see what everyone has to say and create a summary that lets you send a reply with a tap on the screen.
Artificial intelligence will also join Android Auto with more options in smart replies. Depending on the messages you receive, Android Auto will generate custom replies and let you share your ETA with a contact via Google Maps. The options will appear in the smart replies screen when responding to a received message.
Android Auto will soon be updated with support for mobile phone wallpapers. Google has offered support for wallpapers on Android Auto for several years, but the feature has been limited to backgrounds pre-loaded with the app. With this update, Google unlocks third-party wallpapers by bringing the feature in sync with the mobile device. The same background used on a mobile device will appear on the infotainment screen, too, creating more consistency between devices.
Google will also allow the default icon pack on Samsung devices to migrate to Android Auto, replacing the design currently used by the app. The feature only supports Samsung icons and the default icon pack on the device, though it's unclear if the company plans to expand it to more Android OEMs and eventually support third-party icon packs.
The option to let AI create message summaries has appeared in the beta channel for users running Android Auto 11.1, but it's unclear when the search giant plans to begin the rollout for production devices. Not everybody in the beta channels sees the new option in settings, likely as the rollout is still in the early phases and Google is particularly interested in feedback. The stable version of Android Auto 11.1, already available for download as of last week, does not include the option.
However, it could also be tied to a server-side switch, so installing Android Auto 11.1 (beta or stable) does not guarantee you'll get a chance to try it out. Only English is supported for now for message summaries.
Google News