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What CarPlay? Android Auto on Samsung Galaxy S20 Is the Best Thing Ever

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup is now available for customers worldwide, and in addition to a bunch of welcome hardware and software upgrades, it’s also one of the devices that promise a flawless Android Auto experience.
Samsung Galaxy S20+ 15 photos
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As many Android Auto users found out the hard way, the experience with Google’s system isn’t always as smooth as you’d expect it to be, and some bugs can occur all of a sudden for no clear reason.

So how’s Android Auto with the best Android device on the market right now?

Pretty surprising, to be fair, as everything seems to be running unexpectedly smoothly when the Galaxy S20+ is used to power Android Auto on a factory-installed unit.

At first glance, Android Auto also seems to load faster and be a little bit more responsive, but overall, things haven’t changed too much in terms of performance from the Galaxy Note9 I used before.

One thing that I must emphasize is that the Samsung cable included in the box really makes a difference when connecting the device to a car for Android Auto. The high-speed USB-C cable that comes with the Galaxy S20+ is the recommended choice that can help avoid bigger issues like freezing and random disconnects – I actually encountered such bugs in the past on my Note9 with a cheap USB-C cable that I purchased from eBay.

But in the case of the Galaxy S20, using the cable that comes in the box is just the right way to go, and I recommend everyone to stick with this one if they ever purchase Samsung’s new flagship (or pretty much any other Samsung phone).

For some reason, both Google Maps and Waze seems to work properly on the S20. Both apps have previously experienced issues like losing tracking and GPS positioning, placing my car on a different street as the one I was driving on, so I’m guessing both the hardware and the software sides have been improved substantially on the S20.

For the time being, the Galaxy S20 is just the best Android device, at least until Huawei and Google launch their new models. But just like before, the performance of the phone isn’t the one that makes a difference when it comes to Android Auto, so while everything’s running just fine today, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing breaks down tomorrow.

I will continue to use the Samsung Galaxy S20 for Android Auto, so you can use the Disqus box below to ask me anything.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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