Key Takeaways
- For safety, Google needs to ensure a consistent user experience between the car and the phone.
- Companies need to improve caller identification to announce calls and prevent interruptions.
- You should also add a toggle that pauses audio playback between drives to allow for a quiet start.
For most people, Android Auto and Apple Car Play have replaced the infotainment system that came with their car with an extension of their phone. Android Auto Although it continues to thrive, there are some areas where Google could improve the experience.
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1 Different cars mean different experiences
A seamless experience from start to finish
One of the things I’ve had a lot of discussions with Apple users in the past was about Android being fragmented between different brands. Basically, on an Apple device, everyone gets the same experience. I think that’s kind of boring when it comes to phones and tablets, but you don’t want a different user experience in your car and on your Android device while you’re driving.
I want all the buttons and settings in the same place.
I want all the buttons and settings in the same place. There should be no learning curve. If I have to go through the trouble of searching for a particular setting or control while driving, that’s obviously a problem. Google has already taken big steps to unify the Android Auto experience, but the company can do more. It’s a car, so you want the buttons to be in the same place, if only for safety reasons. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten into a rental car and had to search for a button to operate it, and then had to repeat that process with Android Auto.
2 Caller ID
Someone is calling. Don’t look now.
Some of us use cell phones to actually make calls, and some older people let their cell phones ring loudly.
When someone calls and their name appears on the display, one thing should happen and one thing shouldn’t. First, I want Android Auto to announce the caller by default. Sure, you can do that on your phone, but it’s a real pain to have to manually change the settings every time you get in and out of the car. Google, please fix this and help drivers keep their eyes on the road.
Also, why does Android Auto cover up the navigation app to show the name of the person calling? Can you change that, Google? A small bubble notification would be fine, but as I said, a voice announcement with the option to answer or reject the call by voice would be ideal. Incidentally, the options to reject, answer, or send to voicemail are a new feature. Google Gemini AI Can you help here?
3 Pause the music during the drive
Stop it
What I like least about Android Auto is the audio playback. Music, Podcasts or whatever song was last playing in your car, and the audio will continue when you enter it again, whether you like it or not.
Again, a simple toggle somewhere would be great.
That’s fine in some cases, but can be annoying in others — for example, I like quiet in the mornings, and listening to a F1 podcast at full volume first thing on my morning commute is the worst thing I can do.
Again, a simple toggle somewhere would be great.
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4 Listen to me
Screaming doesn’t seem to have any effect
I’m not American, I’m British. Google Assistant It’s hard to understand what I’m saying unless you speak American English. If you meet me and ask me to speak to you in American English, remember that I grew up on Dirty Harry and John Wayne movies. Apparently, Google doesn’t find this very useful either.
To be fair, the poor voice recognition isn’t entirely limited to Android Auto, but the car is where you’ll experience the worst of Google’s offerings, and where accuracy matters most.
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