Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google started the rollout of the Coolwalk redesign for Android Auto two months ago, but several big apps are yet to add support for the split-screen interface.
Waze has already started the work on Coolwalk integration, but the feature is only in the beta stage for now.
Waze first added an early version of its Coolwalk support as part of a beta that shipped several weeks ago. Shortly after that, the feature went missing for some users, possibly as the parent company pulled it to include additional refinements.
The most recent version of Waze released to beta testers seems to include Coolwalk support again. Installing version 4.93.5.5 allows the app to run on the dashboard screen, therefore letting Waze replace Google Maps as the navigation solution on Coolwalk.
The return of Waze on the Coolwalk dashboard is good news, but the application doesn’t seem ready for public launch. The current implementation leaves plenty of room for improvement, so most likely, Waze would keep the update in beta for a little longer.
The biggest shortcoming is the lack of a report button on smaller displays. This means Coolwalk users can only run Waze to see the route guidance and get map information. Reporting an incident is allowed when the app runs in full-screen mode, therefore exiting the split-screen interface.
In my car, the speedometer is too small and part of it is out of the screen. This seems to happen mostly on 7-inch displays, so the Coolwalk integration is buggy, to say the least.
Waze, therefore, needs additional polishing to run properly on Coolwalk, though it’s not clear if the company plans to make the reporting button available for everyone. This would involve more work, and eventually, it could cause the Coolwalk integration to be held back a little longer.
In the meantime, the Coolwalk rollout continues. Google shipped the major UI refresh to the first users in January, and since then, the company has been working around the clock on bringing it to more Android Auto adopters. The search giant did not share an ETA as to when it plans to reach the broad availability stage. However, all Android Auto users should get Coolwalk by the end of the year.
The rollout is therefore projected to be completed in 2023, but the experience with Coolwalk also depends on third-party app support. Waze is currently a top navigation app in the Android Auto world, sometimes considered the number one alternative to Google Maps. As such, given the application does not support running in the split-screen interface, using it in the full-screen mode is the only way to go. This makes the Coolwalk treatment rather redundant, as Waze would continue to use the entire screen estate, just like in the current version of Android Auto.
Waze first added an early version of its Coolwalk support as part of a beta that shipped several weeks ago. Shortly after that, the feature went missing for some users, possibly as the parent company pulled it to include additional refinements.
The most recent version of Waze released to beta testers seems to include Coolwalk support again. Installing version 4.93.5.5 allows the app to run on the dashboard screen, therefore letting Waze replace Google Maps as the navigation solution on Coolwalk.
The return of Waze on the Coolwalk dashboard is good news, but the application doesn’t seem ready for public launch. The current implementation leaves plenty of room for improvement, so most likely, Waze would keep the update in beta for a little longer.
The biggest shortcoming is the lack of a report button on smaller displays. This means Coolwalk users can only run Waze to see the route guidance and get map information. Reporting an incident is allowed when the app runs in full-screen mode, therefore exiting the split-screen interface.
In my car, the speedometer is too small and part of it is out of the screen. This seems to happen mostly on 7-inch displays, so the Coolwalk integration is buggy, to say the least.
Waze, therefore, needs additional polishing to run properly on Coolwalk, though it’s not clear if the company plans to make the reporting button available for everyone. This would involve more work, and eventually, it could cause the Coolwalk integration to be held back a little longer.
In the meantime, the Coolwalk rollout continues. Google shipped the major UI refresh to the first users in January, and since then, the company has been working around the clock on bringing it to more Android Auto adopters. The search giant did not share an ETA as to when it plans to reach the broad availability stage. However, all Android Auto users should get Coolwalk by the end of the year.
The rollout is therefore projected to be completed in 2023, but the experience with Coolwalk also depends on third-party app support. Waze is currently a top navigation app in the Android Auto world, sometimes considered the number one alternative to Google Maps. As such, given the application does not support running in the split-screen interface, using it in the full-screen mode is the only way to go. This makes the Coolwalk treatment rather redundant, as Waze would continue to use the entire screen estate, just like in the current version of Android Auto.
Google News