Some big changes are coming to Google in your car. The search giant has announced a plethora of new features for both Android Auto and built-in Android Automotive systems. Most of the new features are rolling out in the spring or summer, but you can look forward to more apps, new Assistant integrations, and what appears to be the first Google-blessed wireless Android Auto adapter. However, some of these features will require specific (and expensive) car models.
First up, running Android Auto from your phone is about to get better. Google is rolling out a new batch of applications for Auto, which restricts what you can run for safety reasons. Starting this coming summer, Android Auto will get apps for rideshare services Lyft (see above) and Kakao Mobility, allowing drivers to accept and manage rides on the car's display. Auto will also get a version of the fuel and mileage tracker Fuelio and point of interest apps MochiMochi and Pezzi Bezzina. However, the only one we've seen in the virtual flesh is the Lyft app.
If you're sick and tired of plugging your phone in every time you want to run Android Auto, Google and Motorola Sound might be able to help with that. In the next few weeks, you'll be able to pick up the MA1 wireless Android Auto adapter for $90. It's not the first product claiming to add wireless Auto support to existing vehicles, but it's the first one that Google promotes. That would suggest it'll work pretty well.
For the lucky few with a vehicle running the embedded Android Automotive OS, Google is making some significant changes. In the next few weeks, there will be new apps for navigation (Sygic and Flitsmeister), EV charging (ChargePoint and PlugShare), and parking (SpotHero and ParkWhiz). Android Automotive in select vehicles will also get expanded video playback capabilities. You'll still have to be parked, but apps like YouTube will be able to play video in the car. However, this will only be available on Volvo vehicles to start. To tide you over, Google plans to add more vehicle settings to Assistant in Automotive-equipped cars. For example, you could activate a feature like lane-keeping just by asking.
It's not just Automotive OS cars getting better Assistant functionality. Google plans to launch a program allowing car manufacturers to add remote actions to Assistant. So instead of opening an app or going out and physically starting your car, you might be able to ask Assistant to start it up or lock the doors. Naturally, support will be limited when this feature launches in the spring. It will start with just a few Volvo vehicles, like the C40 in the above video.
As is often the case with anything involving car tech, most drivers won't see these features due to the gradual rollout and the overall sluggish pace of the industry. That's doubly true for a new Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, which is only supported on a handful of phones like the Pixel 6 and S21. Later this year, phones with UWB can become your key for supported vehicles. You don't even need to take your phone out, and you'll have the ability to share keys digitally with friends and family. This might sound familiar because it's not entirely new—Google started talking about UWB keys back at I/O with BMW as its launch partner. Presumably, this feature will not come to more cars, but Google isn't offering specifics yet.
