Android Auto is about to get some big updates. A new colour scheme, simplified navigation, and other functionality updates like the ability to keep playing where you left off before turning off your car. It was announced last night ahead of Google's I/O developer conference.
It starts with a new interface for the phone to vehicle connectivity software for Android users. The new look adds a new navigation bar to the bottom of the screen. It's a dynamic menu bar that can adjust to new apps instead of just parking some boring buttons on the bottom of your screen all the time. It will also allow apps to take over parts of it. Like showing your next navigation direction while you're in a different app. Or giving you play/pause controls while you have the map display open. The new bar gets one-touch Google Assistant access and brings the home button closer to the driver. Google says it will also make it quicker and easier to swap between apps.
The updated app is set to start playing your last-played media and bringing up the navigation app as soon as it starts, instead of needing you to pick both of those functions every time. In addition to that new colour palette, which Google says will look better in the car and be easier to view, the updated app will be better able to handle the wider screens now present in many new cars. The notifications and alerts screens have also gotten a refresh.
The new interface is set to roll out later this summer. And Google says that it will go out to all Android Auto compatible vehicles.
