You might have read recently that Google is turning Assistant Driving Mode into its primary driving experience on smartphones, with a version of Android Auto going by the wayside. Let’s take a minute to clear things up – Android Auto is not going away.
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Last week we reported that Android Auto for Phone Screens is set to die off in the very near future, leaving Google Assistant Driving Mode as the only path forward for Android users looking for a car-friendly user interface. While Google often kills products in a way that’s necessary to build something better, it’s pretty hard to see that argument this time around.
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There are plenty of people out there who use Android Auto on their phones. After all, it’s an alternative to what can sometimes be an expensive Android OS for your vehicle. Unfortunately, that Android app has been deemed “totaled” by Google. This guide will give you the rundown on Google Assistant’s “Driving Mode,” a capable replacement for Android Auto on mobile.
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With Android 12, the “Android Auto for Phone Screens” experience is going away in favor of Google Assistant. That transition is happening for more users as of late, while Assistant Driving Mode can now auto-launch when it connects to your vehicle’s Bluetooth.
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Back in November, Assistant Driving Mode started rolling out as part of Google Maps. Google today is making official the new “dashboard” experience coming to Driving Mode, while the Assistant capability is set to get wider availability and a new way to launch.
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Assistant Driving Mode was announced at I/O 2019 to replace Android Auto on phones. It was supposed to launch that summer but was delayed, and is now happening with Android 12. Ahead of that, the homescreen UI unveiled over two years ago is finally appearing in Assistant Driving Mode.
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For the past few months, Google has been slowly rolling out its eventual replacement for the phone-based Android Auto experience. The early preview of Assistant Driving Mode is now getting an international launch.
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Back in November, Google announced an “early preview” of Assistant Driving Mode in the US. It has officially been “rolling out” since late last year, but most users have yet to receive it. The company today reiterated that the preview is coming.
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Google Assistant’s new Driving Mode has yet to arrive on devices, but some early hints within the Google app are pointing to support for NFC quick launch of the new feature.
Yesterday, it emerged that Android Auto would be gaining a “Phone Screens” app even after Google in May announced Assistant Driving Mode as a replacement. A new report paints that upcoming app as nothing more than a stopgap in light of the Assistant-backed feature not meeting its summer release.
Back in May, we learned that while Android Auto for screens in the car is here to stay — and even getting a slick redesign — the experience of using Android Auto on your phone screen was being killed in favor of the Google Assistant’s Driving Mode. We’re now seeing our first evidence of this on the Android Auto side in its latest update, version 4.6, which includes multiple suggestions and warnings to use Google Assistant Driving Mode instead.
Update: Google has officially announced the feature and clarified that Driving Mode will only suggest your home, work, and other recently searched for destinations.
An update to Google Maps for Android adds a new intelligent ‘Driving Mode’ that predicts where you’re heading in order to provide driving updates. Additionally, the update adds more prominent controls for audio feedback and granular privacy settings to the Timeline feature.