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Android Auto

Six 'Android Auto' stories January 2018 - December 2023
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Auto journalist’s Blazer EV road trip turns into a software nightmare

Avatar for David Ruddock Dec 20 2023 - 4:43 am PT
88 Comments

I want to preface this story with a caveat: Lemons exist (and I don’t mean the fruit). Sometimes, you just get a bad car. And generally speaking, I have a very empathetic view toward the job of vehicle software engineers. The functions that customers expect their vehicles to perform have grown immensely in the past 10 years, going from basic command and control interfaces to fully featured smartphone operating systems with multiple applications and always-on internet connectivity. Building that into a product as complex and long-lived as a car isn’t easy!

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GM claims CarPlay and Android Auto cause “unsafe” driver behavior

Avatar for David Ruddock Dec 13 2023 - 5:01 am PT
59 Comments
GM CarPlay

GM can’t really catch a break on its decision to end support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in-vehicle projection modes. And while that choice does have a defensible business purpose (more on that in a moment), recent comments from Tim Babbitt, GM’s Head of Product for Infotainment, to Motor Trend seem like an unforced error — making an already unpopular move feel even less justifed.

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Volvo previews sleek upgrades to Android OS infotainment system for the Polestar 3 and other upcoming EVs

Avatar for Scooter Doll Jan 11 2022 - 2:08 pm PT
0 Comments
Volvo infotainment

Volvo Cars has announced it will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 3rd generation digital cockpit technology to help power its infotainment system. Together with Google’s Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS), this upgrade will mean a faster infotainment system offering an ecosystem of features for future drivers of the Polestar 3, Volvo’s forthcoming electric SUV, and other upcoming EVs.

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How-to: Update your Chevy Bolt firmware via USB so Android Auto and Google Assistant work beautifully

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Jan 12 2018 - 12:18 pm PT
0 Comments

Google this week announced that it was putting Google Assistant on Android Auto which basically means that your Android phone is now a Google Home/Amazon Echo type of device in your car that you can talk to. This, as opposed to having to push the button on the steering wheel, is great for passengers who want to ruin my music vibe.

Unfortunately, my Chevy Bolt was on an older version of the firmware which apparently isn’t OTA upgradable and cut out Android Auto on my Google Pixel every few minutes. To properly test and use Google Assistant, I was going to need to get a firmware update. Off to the Chevy dealer, right?


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