Android users have been giving the awesome features of Android Auto built right into their phones for a while now, making for a perfect driving mode if their car’s built-in radio didn’t support Android Auto natively. The interface has been limited yet perfect for keeping the distractions down with.
Google, however, has decided this wasn’t enough and that they would rather build this directly into Google Assistant vs a stand-alone app. Not only that, they seem to have decided that Auto was a little too simple and that a few more distractions than what it offered, might not be a bad thing (that’s…arguable based on the drivers I have seen on the road these days).
Sometime this summer, Android phones Google Assistant will gain the ability to trigger a new “Driving Mode” by telling Google Assistant “Let’s Drive!”. It will then switch over to simple interface with a similar idea to what Auto offered, but with a fresh looking design and new options.
You will get some of the features you are used to, like navigation, media selection, and phone calls, but it will also build the screen out to things you do frequently. So if you recently listened to Pandora, it may recommend it or something you more commonly listen to.
Time will tell if the new changes will get a positive reaction from users, but the interface does at least look nice to the eyes and quick to the touch. Hopefully, they will remember to build in an option to automatically open without having to tell Assistant the keyword every time, just like Auto has had the ability to do (as soon as it connects to your car’s Bluetooth).
Here is a video that demonstrates the new Google Assistant Driving Mode:
