Photo: Alpine
Google has recently released a new Android Auto update, and while the changelog points to the same generic fixes as before, this time the company has actually worked on something rather important for the future of the app.
Android Auto 6.9 is therefore available for download as a stable build for production devices after the search giant originally released the very same version as part of its beta testing program in the first week of September.
Version 6.9 has therefore been promoted from beta to stable in less than two weeks, and this seems to suggest it has already passed validation, and everything should be as reliable as it gets.
As for the changes this new update brings to users, nothing is noticeable at first, though as said, the bigger improvements happen under the hood.
Android Auto 6.9 is the one paving the way for a trio of significant refinements for Android Auto, one of which is the addition of new wallpapers and support for downloading them from Google’s servers. While at the first glance this doesn’t seem much, it actually is.
Support for retrieving wallpapers from an online server means Google could provide Android Auto users with new backgrounds without the need for a new APK update, while at the same time, the company could end up introducing more capabilities like automatic rotation. In other words, Android Auto could at some point be able to automatically change the wallpaper based on certain triggers, such as the time of day.
Then, version 6.9 introduces code to let users decide if they want Android Auto to run automatically when starting the engine, as well as the first signs of a new UI refresh called Coolwalk and supposed to bring an easier way to access the latest notifications from a new button.
Keep in mind, however, that these features are still in their early days and aren’t enabled by default in Android Auto, as version 6.9 only includes the first lines of code before a potential debut expected at a later time.
Version 6.9 has therefore been promoted from beta to stable in less than two weeks, and this seems to suggest it has already passed validation, and everything should be as reliable as it gets.
As for the changes this new update brings to users, nothing is noticeable at first, though as said, the bigger improvements happen under the hood.
Android Auto 6.9 is the one paving the way for a trio of significant refinements for Android Auto, one of which is the addition of new wallpapers and support for downloading them from Google’s servers. While at the first glance this doesn’t seem much, it actually is.
Support for retrieving wallpapers from an online server means Google could provide Android Auto users with new backgrounds without the need for a new APK update, while at the same time, the company could end up introducing more capabilities like automatic rotation. In other words, Android Auto could at some point be able to automatically change the wallpaper based on certain triggers, such as the time of day.
Then, version 6.9 introduces code to let users decide if they want Android Auto to run automatically when starting the engine, as well as the first signs of a new UI refresh called Coolwalk and supposed to bring an easier way to access the latest notifications from a new button.
Keep in mind, however, that these features are still in their early days and aren’t enabled by default in Android Auto, as version 6.9 only includes the first lines of code before a potential debut expected at a later time.
Google News