Auto group will use Android Auto exclusively so drivers will actually use infotainment centers

-

  • According to The Wall Street Journal, Google has signed a partnership with the world's largest auto group.
  • By 2022, Android Auto will be the exclusive in-dash operating system for millions of cars from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
  • Other, non-Android connected apps — like Apple CarPlay — will still work as well.

When was the last time you actually used your vehicle's in-dash infotainment system to do things like getting navigation directions or streaming music via Spotify? Probably never, right? Most people just use their smartphones for tasks like that, because their vehicle's infotainment system is difficult to use or lacks features they need.

The world's largest automaker — the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance — is finally ceding that this is how consumers do things and just signed a deal with Google to make Android Auto the exclusive infotainment OS in its vehicles, via The Wall Street Journal. Starting in 2021, RNMA will put Android Auto in all of its supported vehicles, which means by 2022 Android Auto could be in millions of cars across the United States.

Last year, RNMA sold a combined 10.6 million vehicles globally and projects that in 2022 it will sell around 14 million vehicles, so this is a considerable win for Google and Android Auto.

Editor's Pick
related article

Android Auto miles safer than standard car infotainment systems – report

Google's vehicle infotainment system Android Auto is less distracting to drivers than built-in infotainment systems, according to research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The research found that drivers are able to make calls …

With Android Auto built in as the default infotainment system, drivers will have access to apps from the Google Play Store, navigation via Google Maps, and smart voice-activated controls via Google Assistant, no smartphone necessary.

Historically, automakers have been reluctant to install third-party systems like Android Auto due to the fact that Google will use the customer data to make money. But consumers' attachments to their phones, Google's open-source Android system, and maybe some of these safety statistics finally won over RNMA, which hopefully means other automakers will soon follow.

This year at Google I/O 2018, Volvo showcased a prototype vehicle with Android Auto built in. It looks like after a decade of trying, Google is finally gaining steam in the automobile space which will put them way ahead of rivals like Apple. However, the pairing of Apple devices to the Android Auto systems will still be possible.

What do you think? Would the inclusion of Android Auto with a vehicle influence your decision to buy it? Let us know in the comments!

NEXT: Best Android Auto head units


#Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

Popular Posts:

Do more from your inbox with Gmail Add-ons

-
Image
For many of us, email is mission control—the prompt to generate an invoice, prepare a presentation or follow up on a sales opportunity. With so many to-dos, imagine if you could complete these tasks directly from your inbox without interrupting your workflow. We believe email can do more, which is why we're launching Gmail Add-ons, a new way to work with your favorite business apps directly in Gmail. Gmail Add-ons, built for your workflows Rather than toggling between your inbox and other apps, use add-ons to complete actions right from Gmail. With Gmail Add-ons, your inbox can contextually surface your go-to app based on messages you receive to help you get things done faster. And because add-ons work the same across web and Android, you only need to install them once to access them on all of your devices. Click the settings wheel on the top right of your inbox and then "Get add-ons" to get started. We made Gmail Add-ons available in developer p
Continue Reading....

Apple is postponing new iOS features in favor of reliability and performance

-
Image
Apple has decided to postpone new features in iOS in favor of improving the reliability and performance of the operating system, as according to a report by Axios. According to the report, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President, Software Engineering, announced the revised plan to employees at a meeting earlier this month. This pushes features like refresh of the homescreen and in-car user interface, improvements to core apps like Mail and camera experience to 2019. What we will get this year is improvements to AR, digital health and parental controls. Apart from that, the OS will largely feature improvements to performance and user experience. We have seen Apple do this with macOS in the past, where they dedicate one entire update cycle to just refining the OS and make existing features work better. However, we have never quite seen Apple do that on iOS. This is largely due to the hyper competitive nature of the mobile market where competition and customer demands push companies t
Continue Reading....

This is Samsung’s official spec sheet for the Galaxy S8 and S8+

-
Image
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have finally been unveiled, and our hands-on experience with the devices is available for everyone to see. Everyone has a pretty good idea about the devices’ specifications at this point, but for those wanting to see it, we have added the official spec sheet offered by Samsung below. Remember, detailed specs are also available from our devices page . Oh, and don’t remember to take a look at what we think about Samsung’s new flagships .
Continue Reading....

Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard

-
Image
Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Rabbit Mountain Adventure VERSION/BUILD: 1.6.4 UPDATED: 28 January 2018 REQUIRES ANDROID: 4.4 and up FILE SIZE: 66.4 M Walking with the dinosaurs! Roam the earth and experience prehistoric times in Virtual Reality. Celebrating 4+ million downloads! Have you ever wanted to meet Dinosaurs in real life? Experience the ultimate dino ride with Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Freely roam the open environment en poke round the beautiful cedar evergreen trees to see huge dinos come to life. You can go to any point and see the sites and dinos in VR. Players get to experience the site at their own pace and the mission is simple; enjoy and discover the world of prehistoric dinosaurs before the modern world cities were built. It's like a virtual reality attraction traveling you back to prehistoric times! The ultimate experience There is no need anymore to become an archaeologist and dig the earth
Continue Reading....

[Bonus Round] Meteorfall: Journeys, Out There Chronicles - Ep. 2, Four Last Things, Rocket Sling, Slime Pizza, Nindash: Skull Valley, and Ragnarok Rush

-
Image
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a card-based roguelike, the next chapter in Out There Chronicles, a renaissance-era point and click adventure game, a space-themed indie arcade game, a unique puzzle platformer, a ninja-themed defense game, and a Ragnarok licensed hero collector. Without further ado: Meteorfall: Journeys Meteorfall: Journeys is a card-based roguelike with an easy to understand deck-building combat system. As you would expect of any roguelike, each game is procedurally generated. This means every round you play is unique. And best of all, this is a premium game with a singular upfront price. That way you
Continue Reading....