Android Auto: how it works and how to turn it wireless
Android Auto
Driving safety is never enough and even a simple distraction behind the wheel, such as glancing quickly at the screen of your smartphone, can lead to situations of great danger. In our experiential tests and tests we often mention services such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but what exactly are they and how can they help us driving? In this guide we will try to clarify, analyzing every single aspect and also highlighting the differences with the much more advanced Android Automotive system.Android Auto Requirements Android Auto Android Auto without Car How to use Android Auto Android Auto future news App compatible with Android Auto Auto compatible with Android Auto Android Auto how to make it Wireless Android Auto does not work Android Auto and Android Automotive: what changes?
Android Auto
Android Auto is an app that takes the place of an infotainment system; is developed by Google, the company behind the Android operating system, and allows you to connect your smartphone to the car. Android Auto does not replace the infotainment system, it simply fits inside and allows you to manage your smartphone almost entirely using the controls, even at the wheel, of your car without taking your eyes off the road.| ); }
Smartphones with an Android 9 or lower operating system will not find Android Auto pre-installed, but it is always available for free on the Google Play Store. From version 10 onwards, Android Auto is integrated into the operating system and therefore does not need to be downloaded.
Requirements Android Auto
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, to pair your smartphone with the infotainment system it is necessary to connect it and there are two ways: via cable, using the same (or similar) cable you use to charge your smartphone at home, or via Wireless. The main difference between the two methods lies in the battery; in the first way the battery will always be under charge, using the Wireless mode, however, the phone will tend to discharge during the journey. However, some more recent and sophisticated cars allow you to wirelessly recharge your smartphone, thus obviating this problem. It should also be noted that not all USB ports inside your car are compatible with Android Auto; only some, specifically indicated in the use and maintenance manual, will be able to manage your smartphone.
Android Auto without a car
Android Auto can also be used only on the smartphone, without necessarily involving infotainment. This feature, which drastically simplifies the UI interface, was created for that kind of cars that are not particularly recent and therefore do not have an infotainment display. For greater safety, it is always advisable to purchase a phone holder to be applied to the glass or an air vent.How to use Android Auto
Once started, Android Auto displays a list of compatible apps installed on your phone, organized in a single scrolling screen. The lower portion of the screen is dedicated to the apps currently running, such as Spotify and Waze, while the central section allows you to view the functions of the selected app on the screen. The icon with the bell shows the notifications that, if necessary, can be read by the voice assistant; always through the latter, it is possible to provide answers to messages received simply by dictating the content. The settings menu shows some settings related mostly to the infotainment system, for further options we recommend viewing the menu of your smartphone.Android Auto future news
Android Auto has not undergone major updates dedicated to the interface in recent years, however, according to what was reported, a new user interface known as Coolwalk. The latest information suggests the presence of a new dashboard not very far from that of Apple CarPlay and therefore compatible with the use of widgets.The integration of a widget system could literally give an edge to the Google system, often poorly digested by some infotainment systems equipped with large displays or with uncommon aspect ratios. On several occasions, during our car tests, we have seen incompatibilities of this kind and a change to this effect could certainly make the driving experience more enjoyable. Despite the numerous rumors on the net, the recently published version 8 (published on 23 August) does not yet integrate the new graphic interface closer to that of Apple CarPlay, but is limited to a few small changes:
stability improvement ; usability improvement; improved do not disturb mode; night mode independent of smartphone settings; fixed some bugs.
Apps compatible with Android Auto
All compatible apps are listed on the Google Play Store and the most important are: Google Maps (navigation), Waze (navigation), WhatsApp (messaging), Messenger (messaging), Telegram (messaging), Skype (video calling), Google Play Music (listening to music), Spotify (listening to music), VLC (playing audio / video), Amazon Music (listening to music), Podcasts (listening to podcasts), Anchor (creating podcasts), Audiobooks (listening to audiobooks) and, finally, Audible (listening to audiobooks).Cars compatible with Android Auto
As anticipated, there is no clear and simple list of cars compatible with Android Auto; in modern cars it is not unusual to find it now standard, at least in the simpler wired variant. If the car is not compatible, it is necessary to purchase an aftermarket entertainment system produced by car radio manufacturers such as Alpine, Blaupunkt, Clarion, JBL, Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony, just to name a few. While some cars still offer the single or double-din slot, more advanced solutions may not allow its installation except to compromise (even drastically) the design of the dashboard.Android Auto how to make it Wireless
Many cars, such as the Mazda MX-5 ND object of our images, are not compatible with Android Auto Wireless however with some aftermarket accessories it is possible to transform the system into the more practical version without cable. To do this, you need to purchase systems such as AAWireless (our review here) or the more recent Motorola MA1, the latter presented at CES 2022.What is it? These are simple dongles, similar to Chromecasts, which allow you to create a wireless connection for your smartphone. The advantage is that on short journeys, such as home - work, it will not be necessary to take the smartphone out of the pocket and connect it to the cable. We mention the short stretches because, making a longer trip, the smartphone could run out quickly due to the absence of a recharging system.
Android Auto does not work
If you have followed the procedure but cannot connect your smartphone to the car or it suddenly stopped working, you may have run into a bug. Here are our tips to find a solution immediately:restart your smartphone: it can happen that your smartphone has been on for several days (or weeks!) Without ever having a small restart. Chrome tabs pile up, applications open in the background are different, and processes endless. First, it is always good to restart to rule out the simplest problems; update your smartphone and the Android Auto app: to always have a functional system, it is a good idea to keep it updated. Our advice is to go to the settings menu> System> Advanced> System updates. Subsequently, we also recommend visiting the Google Play Store to update Android Auto itself and Google Play Services; check smartphone compatibility: as mentioned, to use Android Auto you need a smartphone with Android 6 or higher. In the settings of your device, check the version before trying to connect the smartphone to the car; check the compatibility of the car: is there a USB port but will it be compatible with Android Auto? Not necessarily, check compatibility in the use and maintenance manual. In general, the function should be present from 2016-2017 and depending on the set-up. In most cases, if absent, it is possible to update the infotainment system in the dealership; troubleshoot the infotainment system: if you have made it this far, it means that you have already checked all the intermediate steps and therefore excluded the most common problems. Make sure you start Android Auto on the infotainment display, check that it is present and updated; check the USB cable: how many times have we spent hours finding a solution when the problem was, in truth, before our eyes? Check that the USB cable is of good quality and free from blemishes. With the latest Android Auto updates it will still be possible to find this problem thanks to an integrated feature; check the settings of Android Auto: the system allows you to pair the smartphone to multiple cars. If you are having trouble with pairing, check your Android Auto settings from your smartphone. On this screen, tap Previously connected cars and delete all the cars you no longer use; clear the cache and free up the space: it is a somewhat extreme solution, but if Android Auto is slow to update functions or requires additional space, it is a good idea to free up a few extra mega or gigabytes. To do this, go to Android Auto> Storage and cache and select Clear cache; check that it is not a known bug: it is not uncommon for known bugs not yet officially recognized or resolved; Recently, for example, a problem has been fixed on the Samsung Galaxy S22 regarding the black screen.
