Google’s assault on the auto industry comes in the form of Android Auto. The operating system for the car interfaces with your Android phone and provides a driver-friendly experience with large buttons that are easy to touch. Android Auto can also detect when you’re in a car and will use your Android phone to display a driving interface.
There are options for navigation, calling, and music. Voice controls are supported, and work exactly like they do on your phone. Messages can be read aloud and written so that you don’t have to take your eyes off the road, and the short demo showed off how fluid voice controls are for sending and receiving messages.
Image credit: Google
Android Auto is basically like using your Android phone in the car with a driver-friendly interface. The most important driving features are brought forward and redesigned for quick glancing and touching, and the interface is consistent with what we saw with Android L. Since Google basically knows everything about you, Google Now can pull up travel times and can quickly pull up navigation directions to your home or work.
Over 40 car manufacturers have already signed up to be part of the Open Automotive Alliance. There will be cars rolling off the dealership lot with Android Auto later this year.
Google is releasing a software development kit for developers today so that they can start making apps. We didn’t see Google demo any third-party apps like Pandora or Spotify in the car, but you can be sure they’ll be included in Android Auto.
Android Auto will debut with Android L later this year.
