The Android Auto app ecosystem is growing, and after new navigation apps, like Sygic GPS Navigation and TomTom AmiGO, it’s now the turn of SpotHero to announce its debut on Google’s platform.
SpotHero is a leading parking reservation app that’s been around for a while on CarPlay, and starting this week, it can also be used on Android Auto too.
Thanks to this new integration, drivers can view, navigate to, and redeem and their SpotHero reservations right from the head unit in their cars, as long as Android Auto is supported.
However, SpotHero launches on Google’s platform with a series of limitations.
First and foremost, only drivers in North America can use it, but the parent company guarantees it supports over 300 cities in this region.
Then, the app only allows you to view reservations on Android Auto, as at this point, booking and payment options are not available in the car. So in theory, you need to make your reservation and set up the payment method on your Android device, as the Android Auto version only allows you to view the reservation, access the details, navigate to its location, and then open the pass on the mobile app.
You also can’t access a reservation through Android Auto, as you also need to turn to the SpotHero mobile app for this operation.
In the meantime, the number of apps available on Android Auto keeps growing, and it’s all thanks to Google recently opening up the platform to more categories of third-party solutions. So at this point, users can already choose from several Google Maps alternatives, with the search giant itself confirming recently that plenty of other Android Auto apps are already on their way.
Apple has also implemented a similar change in CarPlay with the release of iOS 14, also unlocking the platform for more third-party solutions, including EV tools and parking apps.
Thanks to this new integration, drivers can view, navigate to, and redeem and their SpotHero reservations right from the head unit in their cars, as long as Android Auto is supported.
However, SpotHero launches on Google’s platform with a series of limitations.
First and foremost, only drivers in North America can use it, but the parent company guarantees it supports over 300 cities in this region.
Then, the app only allows you to view reservations on Android Auto, as at this point, booking and payment options are not available in the car. So in theory, you need to make your reservation and set up the payment method on your Android device, as the Android Auto version only allows you to view the reservation, access the details, navigate to its location, and then open the pass on the mobile app.
You also can’t access a reservation through Android Auto, as you also need to turn to the SpotHero mobile app for this operation.
In the meantime, the number of apps available on Android Auto keeps growing, and it’s all thanks to Google recently opening up the platform to more categories of third-party solutions. So at this point, users can already choose from several Google Maps alternatives, with the search giant itself confirming recently that plenty of other Android Auto apps are already on their way.
Apple has also implemented a similar change in CarPlay with the release of iOS 14, also unlocking the platform for more third-party solutions, including EV tools and parking apps.