Android Auto was announced nearly two years ago, and has been available in vehicles for a little over a year now. There’s a long list of vehicles with the integration already, and an even longer list of those getting the integration soon. Android Auto, like most of Google’s services, is still somewhat of a beta product. Occasionally we see some issues – like the Verizon Galaxy S7 not working correctly with Android Auto – but for the most part it’s pretty stable. Over the past year, we’ve also seen a slew of applications come to Android Auto. These include media apps like music, podcasts or audiobooks, as well as messaging apps available on Android Auto.
That leads us to ask, what would you like to see Google add to Android Auto? A common complaint I see on forums, Reddit, and in our comments is that the app ecosystem is an issue for Android Auto. While it’s true, there aren’t a whole lot of apps available for Android Auto, is there really that much more that Google could bring to the platform? Think about it. We aren’t going to be watching videos on that screen – unless we’re in a self-driving car, which none of us have one yet – so we don’t need Netflix, Hulu, YouTube or Google Play Movies & TV. We also don’t need apps like Facebook and Twitter, because we shouldn’t be composing Tweets while we are driving. What else is there that Google could bring to Android Auto? It’s tough to say. Sure we could see some more media apps make their way into our car, as well as messaging apps. But there’s not a lot of space to grow here.
Personally, there is one feature that I would really like to see Google add to Google Maps. And that is a speed limit indicator. We’ve seen on countless cars with their own navigation, that there is a speed limit sign in the lower left corner, which shows you the right speed limit for that area. It may not be something that Google has to bring to Android Auto, but it would be a nice addition.
With Google I/O coming up later this month, we are likely going to see plenty surrounding Android Auto as well as Android Wear and Android TV at this year’s developers conference. And it’s going to be a very exciting time.