Before I could afford a car—actually, even now that I own one—I used to think that people with onboard navigation systems were pretty swank. “ok at that fancy built-in screen,” I’d think to myself. “They get driving directions everything.”
But I sure showed them when I got my first Android phone. Those swanky drivers had to drop a few gr to get the functionality built into their dashboards, but my phone had turn-by-turn directions right out of the box.
Of course, this was back when holding your phone in your h wasn’t illegal (it’s now a finable offense in the state of California). Now, car makers are adopting ‘s Android Auto to enable smartphone-like capabilities—done more safely—in both low- high-end car models.
High tech in low-end vehicles
Good old reliable Honda—with Android inside.
st to clarify, Android Auto is not an embedded system—not like Audi’s MMI, Ford’s SYNC, or other infotainment platforms built into the cars. Android Auto is an interface you can use with the car’s infotainment system, customized for use with Android phones—just as Apple Caray will do for iones, Mirrornk already does for multiple phone platforms. l you need is the phone the proper hookup.
You do have to tether your phone to the car’s infotainment system to use the display audio features, but Android Auto itself relies completely upon your Android device. “This type of solution—your phone brought into the car connected with the car—that’s the feature [people] are craving,” said Naoki “” Sugimoto, Senior ogram Director at the Honda Silicon Valley b.
The familiar Maps screen, which works exactly as it does on the 5-inch screen on your smartphone.
The new Honda Civics are sportier-looking than they were a decade ago, but by default they’re pretty barren on the inside. Honda knows its customers are hoping for more. “Most of our customers are either Android or ione users,” admitted Sugimoto. “They’re attached to [their phones] 24/7…why shouldn’t the experience be exped into the car, rather than totally isolated?”
Honda showed off a prototype of Android Auto running on a capacitive touchscreen display inside a br-new Civic. The interface looks exactly like Android on your smartphone, it works similarly, too. You can use Now to comm it to send a message, get directions to your favorite restaurant, or look for an alternate route while you’re stuck in traffic.
Android Auto already has a plethora of music radio apps available for your car— you don’t have to control them from your phone.
Any app that utilizes one of Android Auto’s As can be controlled through the car. If an app doesn’t work in your car, it won’t be available. The most typical control methods are a touchscreen display or voice comm—though in Audi’s case, you’d use the rotary control of its MMI system. Honda showed me a demo of the M At Bat app, streaming a game through the Civic’s speakers.
The whole point of Android Auto is that it’s supposed to be hs-free, but I don’t trust Android Auto to eliminate distracted driving completely. There was an instance during the demo when the voice comm wouldn’t work. I can see the risks of trying to figure out what’s going wrong while driving at 65 miles per hour.
Coming soon
Honda couldn’t confirm whether the Civic would be the model that comes stard with Android Auto, but it does plan to have Android Auto compatibility in its cars by next year. Sugimoto also wouldn’t comment on whether it will be an extra paid feature, or whether it will come stard with its low-end models, such as the Civic the Fit.
Other car manufacturers that plan to be compatible with Android Auto include Audi, Hyundai, Chevrolet.
