Photo: Softpedia
Android Auto is a great system, there’s no doubt about that, and what makes it so special is that drivers can run their favorite apps on the display in their cars, all with speaker integration, steering wheel controls, and everything.
It goes without saying that navigation apps are among the most popular apps in Android Auto, and right now Google Maps and Waze are the preferred choices for the majority of users.
In Android Auto, both come with features that are solely focused on cars, despite the fact that technically, they could come in handy in other vehicles as well. Such as on bicycles, for example.
As you probably know already, Google Maps itself already comes with a dedicated mode specifically aimed at people who ride a bike and want to find a route that’s faster and more appropriate for them. And this made many people wonder why Google hasn’t added a bike mode in Android Auto too.
Technically, this would allow them to use Android Auto when riding a bike, thus benefiting from navigation instructions just like a typical driver.
Leaving aside the lack of a display on a bike, which make Android Auto pretty much impossible, adding such a feature makes little sense, especially because Google Maps itself comes with this bike mode built-in.
In other words, the Android phone that you’re using is the only screen that’s appropriate for a bicycle, obviously when the right mount is used, so using Google Maps with this dedicated mode activated is pretty much the most convenient way to do the whole thing.
At the same time, the Google Maps navigation mode on Android and iPhone comes with an interface that’s very close to what we get in Android Auto on a car screen, providing the most appropriate directions that include not only roads, but also bike lanes.
So despite the many people requesting a bike mode in Android Auto, you really don’t need such a feature when you have Google Maps anyway. Not to mention there are a ton of other bike apps that can be used on an Android phone for listening to music, better route tracking, and even logging rides.
In Android Auto, both come with features that are solely focused on cars, despite the fact that technically, they could come in handy in other vehicles as well. Such as on bicycles, for example.
As you probably know already, Google Maps itself already comes with a dedicated mode specifically aimed at people who ride a bike and want to find a route that’s faster and more appropriate for them. And this made many people wonder why Google hasn’t added a bike mode in Android Auto too.
Technically, this would allow them to use Android Auto when riding a bike, thus benefiting from navigation instructions just like a typical driver.
Leaving aside the lack of a display on a bike, which make Android Auto pretty much impossible, adding such a feature makes little sense, especially because Google Maps itself comes with this bike mode built-in.
In other words, the Android phone that you’re using is the only screen that’s appropriate for a bicycle, obviously when the right mount is used, so using Google Maps with this dedicated mode activated is pretty much the most convenient way to do the whole thing.
At the same time, the Google Maps navigation mode on Android and iPhone comes with an interface that’s very close to what we get in Android Auto on a car screen, providing the most appropriate directions that include not only roads, but also bike lanes.
So despite the many people requesting a bike mode in Android Auto, you really don’t need such a feature when you have Google Maps anyway. Not to mention there are a ton of other bike apps that can be used on an Android phone for listening to music, better route tracking, and even logging rides.
Google News