Huge Android Auto update embarrasses Apple CarPlay with full-screen experience

Dubbed the biggest upgrade in Android Auto’s decade-long history, a new update for the car integration app on Android-powered phones is set to roll out later this year. This will include full-screen optimisation to match any vehicle’s display, as well as a new look with customisable widgets and even video playback.

The latest version of Android Auto, Google’s alternative to Apple CarPlay, adopts the same ‘Material 3 Expressive’ design as introduced in the most recent Android 16 ‘Baklava’ update last year. Perhaps the most distinctive visual feature is how Google Maps will now fill the entirety of your car’s infotainment screen – even displays with unusual shapes like the circular touchscreen on the MINI Cooper, and the irregular hexagonal offering in the new BMW iX3.

In its current form, Apple CarPlay isn’t able to provide the same full-screen experience in many models, such as those noted above. Instead, Apple’s in-car phone mirroring software boxes out most of the information into a smaller portion of the screen, bleeding out to the edges using the chosen native wallpaper.

That’s not all, as the updated Android Auto experience is also much more tailored than before thanks to the introduction of customisable widgets. These can display information such as the weather, your current media playback, an analogue clock or even some of your photos.

Watch videos in-car

Speaking of media playback, Android Auto will also now, for the first time, enable users to  watch video content on their car’s screen. While YouTube is the only compatible app mentioned so far, it’s likely that users will also be able to stream the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and more, while that car is stationary. When you start driving, apps that support background audio will transition to an audio-only format ensuring you can keep consuming your chosen content without any dangerous distractions.

Also helping stop drivers getting distracted is wider Gemini Intelligence functionality within Auto. Coming later this year, this will enable you to use your car’s hands-free microphone to give Google AI assistant tasks, such as sending a message or ordering a takeaway, with the system now able to display a greater degree of intuition than before.

If you don’t have an Android phone but all of this still sounds exciting to you, don’t fret as Google says many of these features will also come to cars with Google-based infotainment systems. Models from the likes of Volvo and Renault will also benefit from the new Google Maps Immersive Navigation, as well as video streaming and an enhanced Gemini assistant which can answer questions about your car, such as whether something will fit in the boot or what a warning light on the dashboard means.

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