Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/reddit user clear_simple_plain
Waze has already been updated with support for Android Auto Coolwalk, but the parent company is now working on additional refinements that significantly improve the experience on the dashboard screen.
Coolwalk is the new Android Auto design that started rolling out back in January. Thanks to this update, users can run multiple apps on the same screen with the help of cards. Each app category uses a certain card, and as such, users can have more than just one app on the screen.
Coolwalk support in Waze landed a couple of weeks ago, but the latest update adds the option to switch to the secondary card in the dashboard view.
Here's precisely how everything works following the latest update.
The Coolwalk interface is divided into multiple cards (either two or more, depending on the active apps, screen resolution, aspect ratio, and whether phone calls are active). In the default configuration, navigation apps, such as Google Maps and, most recently, Waze, receive the largest card (the one closest to the driver). The secondary, which expands to the remaining screen estate, uses the smaller card.
The reasoning is pretty simple. Navigation apps need to display more information, including the map, routing guidance, and other data. As such, they need more screen estate, whereas music apps only show music playback controls and song information.
The likes of Spotify, however, also require additional screen space when loading a playlist or browsing a song queue. As such, Android Auto Coolwalk also allows users to run them in the larger card.
Thanks to the latest update, Waze can switch to the smaller card when another non-navigation application uses the rest of the screen estate.
Depending on the display settings, Waze won’t use the secondary card in the dashboard view due to limited resolution and DPI options.
Coolwalk was developed from the very beginning to run on screens of all sizes, resolutions, and DPI settings. However, it's not a surprise that certain feature limitations are still in place, particularly because certain options can't be enabled due to the available screen space.
Portrait displays, for example, also come with a weather card, whereas landscape units lack the current temperature and forecast information. This is one of the top feature requests for Android Auto Coolwalk, with Google recently confirming that it's looking into ways to enable the same functionality on all devices.
The new Waze feature isn't yet available for everybody, as the rollout is now underway. The option to run the app in the smaller card on the Coolwalk screen was spotted in version 4.94.0.3. If you didn’t receive this build and no update is available through the Google Play Store, you can just download the stand-alone APK installer and update the app manually.
Coolwalk support in Waze landed a couple of weeks ago, but the latest update adds the option to switch to the secondary card in the dashboard view.
Here's precisely how everything works following the latest update.
The Coolwalk interface is divided into multiple cards (either two or more, depending on the active apps, screen resolution, aspect ratio, and whether phone calls are active). In the default configuration, navigation apps, such as Google Maps and, most recently, Waze, receive the largest card (the one closest to the driver). The secondary, which expands to the remaining screen estate, uses the smaller card.
The reasoning is pretty simple. Navigation apps need to display more information, including the map, routing guidance, and other data. As such, they need more screen estate, whereas music apps only show music playback controls and song information.
The likes of Spotify, however, also require additional screen space when loading a playlist or browsing a song queue. As such, Android Auto Coolwalk also allows users to run them in the larger card.
Thanks to the latest update, Waze can switch to the smaller card when another non-navigation application uses the rest of the screen estate.
Depending on the display settings, Waze won’t use the secondary card in the dashboard view due to limited resolution and DPI options.
Coolwalk was developed from the very beginning to run on screens of all sizes, resolutions, and DPI settings. However, it's not a surprise that certain feature limitations are still in place, particularly because certain options can't be enabled due to the available screen space.
Portrait displays, for example, also come with a weather card, whereas landscape units lack the current temperature and forecast information. This is one of the top feature requests for Android Auto Coolwalk, with Google recently confirming that it's looking into ways to enable the same functionality on all devices.
The new Waze feature isn't yet available for everybody, as the rollout is now underway. The option to run the app in the smaller card on the Coolwalk screen was spotted in version 4.94.0.3. If you didn’t receive this build and no update is available through the Google Play Store, you can just download the stand-alone APK installer and update the app manually.
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