Live on Play Store]The Android Auto application will no longer be supported in favor of the new driving mode of Google Assistant

Google announced Android Auto at a time when automakers were looking for new ways to attract more tech-savvy customers. They compete with other automotive infotainment systems from Apple and automakers, but they’re making a lot of progress in this area. Google expanded Android Auto’s user base by introducing a mobile app that offered similar functionality for those who didn’t have a built-in infotainment system (or didn’t support Android Auto). However, we have just learned that Google will no longer support this application and will instead market the new driving mode of the Google Assistant.

It’s an interesting choice to make here as it looks like Google is fragmenting the user base. Android Auto came in two forms: integrated infotainment systems and the mobile app. So even if you didn’t have one (or didn’t like one), you could use the other. As we’ve learned, Google isn’t discontinuing or renaming the infotainment system version of Android Auto here.

Instead, they’re just phasing out support for the Android Auto mobile app and putting those features in Google Assistant’s new driving mode. This new feature for Google Assistant was announced during Google I / O 2019 this week with the announcement of its arrival on Waze as well. The company wants to use this new feature to predict what you want to do when you start driving. To launch the new feature, all you need to do is activate Google Assistant, then say “let’s drive”.

Google Assistant will then occupy the entire screen of the smartphone and offer some information at the top (such as traffic conditions). You are then offered quick access to various functions including navigation mode, making a call or playing certain media. Since the Google Assistant is tied to so many other aspects of your personal information, it can suggest shortcuts to where it predicts you want to go, offer to resume a podcast you were listening to earlier, notify you of incoming phone calls. / missed, and more.

Source: 9to5Google

Update 1: “Android Auto for phone screens” application

In a strange move, Google seems to be going back a bit on the removal of the Android Auto app for phones. A Google support page explains how Android Auto is integrated with Android 10, but in the coming weeks they will be “releasing a separate app called” Android Auto for phone screens “in the Play Store. They say the app will allow users to continue using the phone screen version of Android Auto.

It may not be an “app” and just a shortcut to the assistant’s driving mode. It could also be Google going back all the way and releasing a new Auto app for phones, or the re-release of the old one. We should know more soon.

Source: Google | Via: Police Android

Update 2: Live on the Play Store

The strange app “Android Auto for Phone Screens” is now available on the Play Store. The “app” is literally just a shortcut to Android Auto. This is because the Android Auto app icon will soon be hidden by default when deploying Google Assistant driving mode, and it is already hidden for some devices running Android 10. Yes, this is all a bit strange and convoluted.