What you need to know
- Google is discontinuing the Android Auto for phone screens app for all Android phones.
- The replacement option for users without an Android Auto-enabled vehicle is to use Google Assistant driving mode.
- Google announced updates for Android Auto at Google I/O on May 12 2022.
Driving while using a phone is a potentially dangerous situation and is a big reason companies are working to find solutions that allow users to access necessary apps while being as safe as possible. Now, Google is getting rid of it. The Android Auto for phone screens app allowed Android users to have a safe driving interface while on the road.
As first reported by 9to5Google — the end of the app has arrived. Google had confirmed in October 2021 that the Android Auto for phone screens app would go away in favor of a new Google Assistant driving mode with the launch of Android 12. However, many users continued using the helpful and familiar app.
Current Android Auto for phone screen users are beginning to see a notification like the one shared by Reddit user u/firstrta stating that "Android Auto for phone screens will stop working soon." When that is exactly is unclear, but when I tried to install the app from the Google Play Store, while still listed, it said that I didn’t have any compatible device.
While the Google Assistant driving mode isn’t a 1-for-1 replacement, it offers a safer alternative than using your phone as you would if you weren’t driving. Enabling Google Assistant driving mode only has a few steps and can help you out for your next drive.
So, even though it is ending one version of Android Auto, Google is still building on another that will work with all of the best Android phones. For those with vehicles that are compatible with Android Auto, you will still be able to use the service as you have been. In fact, Google even had a session dedicated to the service during Google I/O in May, where it showed up some upcoming updates to Android Auto.
