Photo: Polestar
While the adoption of Android Auto is on the rise, with Google itself revealing recently that over 100 million cars out there are already using the wireless mode, the Mountain View-based search giant is also pushing hard for the adoption of Android Automotive on more and more vehicles.
As compared to Android Auto, which relies entirely on the phone to power the car-optimized experience and uses the head unit in the cabin to mirror the UI, Android Automotive is deeply integrated into the vehicle for more advanced capabilities.
And given it’s a stand-alone OS that does not require a phone connection, Android Automotive also supports Google accounts, allowing users to create profiles that would allow for a more personalized experience when starting the engine.
Needless to say, these are all features that nobody would have imagined we’d get some 20 years ago, but the future is now and Android Automotive wants to be part of it.
Unfortunately, so do thieves, and the smarter cars get, the more prone they are to all kinds of attacks that could end up with someone else unlocking the doors and even worse, being able to turn on the engine.
Google too knows this is something that remains a big concern in the long term, so the company has recently started the work on a new feature that would come in handy if a car gets stolen.
An APK teardown of the most recent Find My Device app compiled by Google reveals the search firm wants users to be able to delete their data from stolen vehicles remotely, just like they’re able to do right now on an Android phone.
In theory, users can connect to their Google accounts remotely, lock the profiles, and then only allow a connection as long as the password is provided. Furthermore, Google wants to force a profile lock even if the car is offline, with the access to be restricted when the engine is started.
For the time being, however, the feature is still in the experimental phase, though we should hear more about it as the work in this regard advances.
And given it’s a stand-alone OS that does not require a phone connection, Android Automotive also supports Google accounts, allowing users to create profiles that would allow for a more personalized experience when starting the engine.
Needless to say, these are all features that nobody would have imagined we’d get some 20 years ago, but the future is now and Android Automotive wants to be part of it.
Unfortunately, so do thieves, and the smarter cars get, the more prone they are to all kinds of attacks that could end up with someone else unlocking the doors and even worse, being able to turn on the engine.
Google too knows this is something that remains a big concern in the long term, so the company has recently started the work on a new feature that would come in handy if a car gets stolen.
An APK teardown of the most recent Find My Device app compiled by Google reveals the search firm wants users to be able to delete their data from stolen vehicles remotely, just like they’re able to do right now on an Android phone.
In theory, users can connect to their Google accounts remotely, lock the profiles, and then only allow a connection as long as the password is provided. Furthermore, Google wants to force a profile lock even if the car is offline, with the access to be restricted when the engine is started.
For the time being, however, the feature is still in the experimental phase, though we should hear more about it as the work in this regard advances.
Google News