Yes, the major public clouds offer a lot. But what you may not know are the limitations, and how open clouds make the difference. Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. Google is still figuring out what exactly it wants to show off onstage next week at I/O 2019, and that means some news is being pushed out early. In addition to adding Tiles to Wear OS, the company today announced that developers can start building apps for Android Automotive OS. In March 2017, Google introduced Android Automotive OS, an Android operating system tailored to run in the car. It should not be confused with Android Auto, Google’s mobile app that mirrors features from your Android device to your car’s in-dash entertainment head unit. In short, because cars are getting more technology and becoming more connected, Android Auto doesn’t cut it anymore and so Google built Android Automotive OS. In February, Polestar, Volvo’s brand for electric performance cars, unveiled the Polestar 2, the first car with built-in Android Auto. The Polestar 2 (pictured above) arrives in 2020, so Google needs to get developers on board sooner rather than later. Media apps first, navigation and communication next Google is starting with support for third-party media apps — music, podcasts, and other content you might want to listen to while driving. The company says media app developers “will be able to start creating new entertainment experiences for Android Automotive OS” next week at I/O. Media apps are just the first type the company is soliciting. Google also hints at plans to let developers build apps for navigation (mapping solutions), communication (calls, messages), “and beyond.” Android Automotive OS apps will be available via the Google Play Store. To make this possible, Google says it is building on the existing Android Auto framework. The company already put a lot of work into supporting a variety of screen sizes, input methods, OEM customizations, and regional driver safety guidelines with Android Auto. That work isn’t being lost with Android Automotive OS — the company wants to make building embedded apps for cars at scale as “easy” as it is building Android apps at scale for the myriad of mobile devices. If you’re a developer, the Google I/O 2019 Automotive session next week will have more information: How to Build Android Apps for Cars. It will walk through details on how to build your media app using Android Studio with an Android Automotive OS emulator and templates. There will also be office hours and app reviews hosted by the Android Automotive team at I/O 2019, plus an Automotive OS codelab. If you won’t be at I/O 2019, there is now an automotive-developers Google Groups community for developers to discuss Android Automotive OS. Additionally, Google has set up an android-automotive tag on StackOverflow.<doc-sep>At its 2019 I/O keynote and conference, a few exciting announcements were made regarding Google in the car. Google wants to be more helpful behind the wheel, but it's also a bit confusing with four very similarly named and featured technologies and driving modes to choose from. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at Android Auto, the Android Auto app, Android Automotive OS and Google Assistant Driving Mode to see how they stack up. Android Auto Android Auto is Google's app projection and connectivity technology for cars, much like Apple CarPlay or MirrorLink. After connecting a compatible phone to a compatible vehicles, Android Auto can take over your car's dashboard screen, overlaying the OEM software with Google's driving interface with notifications, messaging and hands-free calling, audio streaming apps and navigation software. Google The system ties into the driver's Google account, surfacing recommendations for navigation, calendar appointments and more on its home screen. Users can navigate with Google Maps or Waze, respond to SMS and app-based messages with voice commands, and stream audio from any of dozens of compatible music, news, radio and podcasting apps. And of course, Google's voice search and Assistant technology is threaded all through, giving drivers hands-free control over everything. Android Auto is about to get a major redesign this summer that makes it easier to multitask, reduces the amount of back and forth between navigation and audio apps and, hopefully, further reduces distraction. How do you get it? Android Auto requires a compatible vehicle to project to, so make sure that your car supports the technology first. Then just install the Android Auto app on your compatible phone, connect via USB and hit the road. Some newer vehicles even support wireless Android Auto connectivity over Wi-Fi. There are also aftermarket multimedia receivers available that can add compatibility to older cars. Android Auto App Mode Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET Shortly after launching Android Auto, Google introduced Android Auto App Mode. It's basically the same Android Auto without the projection. The simplified, low-distraction car mode interface runs directly on the host phone's display rather than getting beamed to a car's dashboard. The Android Auto app can use the same voice commands, offers the same Google Assistant recommendations and supports the same navigation, messaging and audio streaming apps as full-blown Android Auto because, of course, it's the same software. How do you get it? Just go to the Google Play Store on your Android phone and download the Android Auto app. It's as simple as that, though you'll still have to find somewhere to safely mount and charge your phone while driving. Don't get too attached, though. Android Auto's app mode will be phased out when it is replaced by Google Assistant's new Driving Mode later this year. Speaking of which... Google Assistant Driving Mode Google's AI-powered Google Assistant is gaining a new trick this year with the addition of its new Driving Mode interface. When triggered, Assistant Driving Mode fills the screen with a redesigned dashboard that offers suggestions for navigation, calendar appointments and reminders, frequent contacts, links to audio apps and podcasts and more in a simplified view. Assistant is primarily a voice-activated system, so expect spoken prompts and commands to play a very large role in how you interact with Assistant Driving Mode. However, users can still tap and swipe to navigate the interface. Google Maps Navigation displays full screen once started with a bottom bar appearing to display audio controls, notifications and quick access to manually triggering more Google Assistant prompts. How do you get it? You'll have to wait for Google to roll out the new Assistant action later this year. Once it does, just grab your Google Assistant-powered phone and say, "Hey Google, let's drive" to call up the driving interface. Android phones will definitely be supported, but there is a Google Assistant app that can run on iOS devices, so we'll be keeping an eye out for support on that platform. Google Android Automotive OS The other new kid on the block is the recently announced Android Automotive OS. Simply put, Android Automotive is a new version of the Android operating system customized by Google for use in vehicles. Where the similarly named Android Auto lives on the user's Android phone and is merely projected into the dashboard, an Android Automotive vehicle is the Android device with Google's operating system powering everything from the onboard navigation, messaging and media streaming apps to traditional vehicle systems like climate controls, comfort and convenience features, vehicle settings and more. Polestar How do you get it? The only way to get Android Automotive is to buy an entirely new car that's powered by the software, but for that you'll have to wait. So far, the 2021 Polestar 2 is the first car that will debut the tech when it arrives in 2020 with Google Services and the Google Play Store in the dashboard. The operating system will also be available on the Volvo XC40 around the same time. More Android Automotive-powered vehicles will likely follow as other automakers adopt and modify the open-source software, however they may not always wear "Android Automotive OS" branding.<doc-sep>The native Android Auto saga has a long and winding road, but we’re finally approaching the finish line. Google’s custom-built software for automobiles, now called Android Automotive OS and not to be confused with standard Android Auto mirrored from your smartphone, was first announced a couple of years back as a kind of compromise with an auto industry that realized it could never build software as good as Silicon Valley. It’s taken various forms, as it’s moved from retrofitted Volvo infotainment systems to new, custom screens. And behind closed doors, it’s gone through countless iterations that have never seen the public eye, as Google has done a careful dance letting automakers have some control of the design while it works closely alongside component suppliers to make sure the in-car touchscreen systems are up to snuff. Related The head of Android Auto on how Google will power the car of the near future Yet now, at Google’s I/O developer conference this year, we’re getting our first glimpse at what this now-polished software may actually look like in its final, consumer form. To show off the latest version of Android Automotive, Google and Volvo trotted out the new Polestar 2, an all-electric luxury performance vehicle designed to compete with Tesla. To be fair, it’s a prototype version of the car running a prototype version of Android Automotive. But the two companies couldn’t have picked a nicer showcase for the software’s latest iteration. The center screen is a large, tablet-sized 11-inch display reminiscent of Tesla’s infotainment setup. Polestar built an even wider, 12-inch second screen that sits above the steering wheel and mirrors critical info from Google Maps. Everything works together in a way that all car software, in an ideal world, should be designed, if the auto industry had the decades of software experience that Google does. Grid View Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The whole system is intuitive in a way that goes beyond standard Android Auto, which received an update last week to make it simpler and easier to use, but is still largely mirroring info from your phone in a less distracting fashion. Android Automotive, on the other hand, can be used without a smartphone at all. More critically, it can control core functions of the vehicle — like changing in-car temperature and adjusting steering, braking, and other key mechanical features — all from the center system and via voice, thanks to Google Assistant. We saw a bit of this in a web preview Polestar released earlier this year, but seeing it in the car itself makes a more convincing argument that this isn’t a Frankenstein blend of Google and auto software, but a well-thought-out hybrid of the two. The Polestar 2 is a perfect showcase for the power of Android Automotive The Polestar 2 itself was only officially announced back at the end of February, and it won’t go into production until next year. But it will be the first car to officially get Android Automotive OS with a confirmed suite of Google Play apps, including Google Maps. Other automakers, like Fiat Chrysler and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, have signed on to use the software in new vehicles, and Audi is the only other carmaker alongside Volvo to have announced an early partnership with Google back in 2017. That means the Polestar 2 has the most up-to-date version of the software in what we’re told is very close to its final form. Last year, we saw a version of Android Automotive on a Volvo XC40, but it’s drastically different now and designed for the newer vertical infotainment screens that seem ready to take over the luxury car space and trickle down to mid-tier vehicles in time. At a broader level, this is just one more chapter in the ongoing battle to control the car. Unlike the home appliance industry, which largely ceded control to the biggest players in tech to take over the smart home with products of their own, the auto industry has a leg up on Silicon Valley: tech companies can’t build products as complex as cars, and even attempts from companies as well-funded and determined as Apple have resulted in failures and pivots. Even Tesla, which fancies itself a tech company, is still a carmaker at heart, and the one automotive industry player to blaze its own trail when it comes to in-car software and touchscreens. That means there’s a lot of room for the traditional auto industry to keep at least some of its power when it partners with tech giants. We’re starting to see a divide form between those that partner with Google and those opting for Automotive Grade Linux, an open-source project to let carmakers build their own software without having to hand the keys to tech companies. But more so than CarPlay, which seems like it will remain a simple system for the iPhone, Android Automotive is positioned to be a true competitor in the auto market, especially if the software pans out as well for other vehicles as it does for the Polestar 2.<doc-sep>Android Auto — the in-car platform that brings the look and functions of a smartphone to the vehicle’s central screen — is getting a new look and improved navigation and communication features that will roll out this summer. The improvements and new look were revealed Monday during Google I/O 2019, the annual developer conference. The most noticeable change might be the overall look of Android Auto. It now has a dark theme, new fonts and color accents designed to make it easier for drivers to quickly and more easily see the content on the car’s central screen. The new version of Android Auto has also improved its notifications. Drivers can choose to view, listen and respond to messages and calls more easily. Engineers have updated the software to make it more seamless. The system, if properly enabled, would pop up on the car’s screen once the vehicle was turned on. However, the user would still have to restart their media or navigation option. Now, Android Auto will continue playing the media and navigation app of the driver’s choice. Drivers can tap on a suggested location or say “Hey Google” to navigate to a new place. The navigation bar on Android Auto has changed, as well. Drivers will be able to see their turn-by-turn directions and control apps and phone on the same screen. Finally, the platform has been adjusted so it will fit various sized-screens. Android Auto now maximizes the in-car display to show more information, like next-turn directions, playback controls and ongoing calls. Android Auto is not an operating system. It’s a secondary interface — or HMI layer — that sits on top of an operating system. Google released Android Auto in 2015. Rival Apple introduced its own in-car platform, Apple CarPlay, that same year. Automakers that wanted to give consumers a better in-car experience without giving Google or Apple total access quickly adopted the platform. Even some holdouts, such as Toyota, have come around. Today, Android Auto is available in more than 500 car models from 50 different brands, according to Android Auto product manager Rod Lopez. Google has since developed an operating system called Android Automotive OS that’s modeled after its open-source mobile operating system that runs on Linux. Instead of running smartphones and tablets, Google modified it so it could be used in cars. Polestar, Volvo’s standalone performance electric car brand, is going to produce a new vehicle, the Polestar 2, that has an infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS.<doc-sep>
Google is opening its Android Automotive operating system up to third-party developers to bring music and other entertainment apps into vehicle infotainment systems, starting with the Polestar 2, an all-electric vehicle developed by Volvo’s standalone electric performance brand. Google announced Wednesday that media app developers will be able to create new entertainment experiences for Android Automotive OS and the Polestar 2, starting at Google I/O 2019, the annual developer’s conference that kicks off May 7. Google is starting with media app developers such as Spotify and other entertainment sites. However, the company plans to expand into other categories of apps as well such as navigation, Haris Ramic, Google’s product lead for Android Automotive told TechCrunch in a recent interview. Android Automotive OS shouldn’t be confused with Android Auto, which is a secondary interface that lies on top of an operating system. Android Automotive OS is modeled after its open-source mobile operating system that runs on Linux. But instead of running smartphones and tablets, Google modified it so it could be used in cars. Polestar introduced in February its first all-electric vehicle, a five-door fastback called the Polestar 2, ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. The Polestar 2’s infotainment system is powered by Android Automotive OS and, as a result, brings into the car embedded Google services such as Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store. Ramic noted that the system shown in Geneva has improved and now has updated Google Maps and a media center that allows third-party applications like Spotify, NPR and YouTube Music to function more seamlessly in the vehicles. These applications will be ready when the vehicle goes into volume production, which is slated to begin in early 2020 at its Chengdu, China factory. The company is initially targeting sales in China, the U.S., Canada and a handful of European countries that include Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. Polestar isn’t the only company with plans to incorporate a version of its Android operating system into its car infotainment systems. Volvo announced in 2017 that it would use the Android OS and a year later said it would embed voice-controlled Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps and other Google services into its next-generation Sensus infotainment system. lvo. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced Tuesday that it will use tech from Harman and Google to build out its connected-car services. Google’s Android Automotive OS will power FCA’s next version of its Uconnect infotainment system, while Samsung-owned Harman’s Ignite cloud platform will handle the out-of-car services. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has also publicly announced plans for Android Automotive OS as well as other automakers that Google can’t reveal at this time, Ramic said. “Interest is very high,” Ramic said, noting that a growing number of companies have come to see the value in leveraging Google’s expertise. That’s a shift from the traditionally protective stance of automakers intent of keeping Google out of the car. But as the divide between the capabilities of smartphones and in-car infotainment systems grows, automakers have been more willing to turn to Google.