Following the Google I/O developer conference, Android Auto is becoming more than just Google’s Gemini assistant. The company also announced or otherwise demonstrated many changes to the infotainment operating system, including an updated Spotify app, a light mode, and the introduction of web browsers and video applications.
Let’s start with Spotify. Last week, Google revealed in a video that the Spotify app for Android Auto is being updated with new media app templates that the company is making available to developers. One of the features that the music service is adding to Android Auto is Spotify Jam, a feature that allows users to share an audio source from their individual devices.
In cars with Android Auto, this means that any Spotify user will be able to join in by tapping the new “Jam” icon on the car’s touchscreen and then scanning a QR code to start adding future songs to the playlist. Because it is a Spotify feature, it is much more inclusive than Apple Music’s similar SharePlay feature, which requires everyone to have an Apple device to participate. Spotify Jam will be available “in the coming months,” according to the company.
Also in the video, Google says that it will soon add Quick Share support for cars with built-in Google, allowing users to do things like add stops to routes on Google Maps. The company also says it is going to add turnkey support for its infotainment OS.
Thanks to the Google Figma kit that Google created to prototype the Android Auto app interface, we also have a new look at the light mode theme that the company is working on for Android Auto. In its blog post about all the changes to Android Auto, Google didn’t say that it was introducing a light mode, but as 9to5Google points out, this UI option has been in the works for years.
The only thing Google mentioned – and it was brief – was that Android Auto will include browser and video apps. The company claims that this category of apps, as well as video apps, will be available for Android Auto “soon,” and that gaming apps are already available in beta. Of course, Google says that these features will only work when the car is parked. The browser feature is already available in the beta version for cars with Google built-in, and video applications are already available in this version of the infotainment system. The company also announced that support for weather apps is officially out of beta.
