Big changes are coming to Android Auto. For the past several months now we've been anticipating when Google would finally push out its new “Coolwalk” interface, but when is it actually going to land? We're still waiting for an ETA (and with Google I/O 2022 right around the corner, we may get our wish soon), but while Coolwalk's not ready for prime time just yet, a new update is on its way out presently, as Android Auto 7.6 starts arriving for more and more devices.

It was just three weeks ago that we saw Android Auto 7.5 hit the distribution cycle — and were similarly a little bummed then that Coolwalk wasn't included. We knew about some under-the-hood changes, like work on support for its USB connection checker, but there wasn't a lot to see.

This 7.6 release (spotted by 9to5Google) continues much in the same vein, and so far this one is looking to lack any major user-facing changes. We've heard speculation that it may end up bringing Smart Replies to even more people than had access already, but as we first spotted that on 7.5, this new release is clearly not a requirement.

Google updated its Android Auto bug tracker on May 1, so it's likely that reflects the changes we're getting in 7.6. There, Google notes that issues with voice calls routing to the wrong device and unhelpful “something went wrong” Assistant replies have been resolved. We also learn that efforts to fix problems with Galaxy S22 compatibility and language settings are ongoing.

Android Auto 7.6 is headed out to smartphones now through the Play Store, or you can grab it from APKMirror.