Google is Sunsetting Android Auto for Phone Screens
- Laurent Giret
- Jun 03, 2022
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Google is retiring Android Auto for Phone Screens for good. Google had already made the app incompatible on Android 12 handsets last year, but it has now started displaying an “Android Auto for phone screens will stop working soon” message on older versions of the OS as well (via 9to5Google).
As its name suggests, Android Auto for Phone Screens lets Android users access the Android Auto experience on their phone screen. On Android Auto compatible cars, users can just plug in their phone to access Android Auto without downloading this app.
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“For the people who use Android Auto in supported vehicles, that experience isn’t going away – and in fact we announced an upcoming major UI improvement recently at Google I/O. For those who use the on phone experience (Android Auto mobile app), they will be transitioned to Google Assistant driving mode which is our next evolution of the mobile driving experience,” Google explained in a statement.
Google Assistant Driving Mode is a pretty solid alternative to Android Auto on phones, and it’s currently supported on Android 9.0 or newer in select markets. The experience lets you use your voice to read and send messages, make calls, and control media, though some features aren’t available in all languages or countries.
If you do have a car with built-in support for Android Auto, the platform will get a bit update this summer. New features include universal split-screen support, expanded Assistant features, as well as new entertainment experiences with the YouTube, Tubi, Epix, and other video streaming apps coming soon.