Android Automotive OS will be the new operating system that will be installed on smart cars. Here’s how it works and which apps are compatible
Android Auto could soon completely change face and make a decisive leap forward. And the credit goes to Android Automotive OS, the operating system for connected cars that Google has been working on since 2018 and is almost ready to make its debut. You could call it a sort of Android Auto 2.0, but that would be limiting: the new operating system will allow smart cars to be even smarter and easier to use.
The guys at Ausdroid were lucky enough to get a preview of the user interface of the new Android Automotive OS and to pin down some features and especially which apps are compatible. In fact, the luck and success of an operating system always depends on the number of apps. And the first reports are not great: the version tested by Ausdroid lacks apps of a certain weight, especially those related to the Android world. Two of these are Google Play Music and YouTube Music. Most likely, the version tested is only a beta: it’s unlikely that the Mountain View company will decide not to integrate these two apps into the new Android Auto.
Android Automotive OS, what is it
As has already been done in other sectors, Google wants to bring its own philosophy to the automotive sector and for this reason is developing an operating system that will replace Android Auto. The new system is called Android Automotive OS and it will allow cars to take a real step forward in terms of connectivity.
Developers are working so that the user interface will be the easiest to use and above all will not distract the driver. One of the great innovations of Android Automotive OS is the presence of the Google Play Store that will allow you to install all the apps compatible with the new operating system.
Android Automotive OS, the compatible apps (so far)
The guys at Ausdroid have also compiled a (short) list of the few apps that so far can be installed on the operating system for smart cars. There’s no shortage, logically, of Google Maps and Google Assistant, which will be the basis of the new Android Auto. Then we find some apps for listening to podcasts (Castbox and Pocket Casts), Spotufy, apps for listening to the radio and others for audiobooks.
At the moment, the offer is rather meager and there are apps like YouTube Music missing, which will surely be integrated before the official launch of the new operating system.
When will the new Android Auto arrive
There is no official release date yet to see Android Automotive OS on smart cars. The operating system is still under development and you’ll have to wait at least a couple of months, if not even next year to be able to install the new Android Auto on your car. In the hope that it will be compatible and supported.