Swedish electric car brand Polestar was among the first to adopt Google's Android Automotive multimedia system. This includes the same set of applications found in an Android phone, adapted to the automotive context, even if the actual offering has been somewhat limited so far. This must change in the coming months.
Google announced in mid-May that a major update to Android Automotive was in its near-term plans. To the existing Google Car Services, which already include very popular apps, including Google Maps, Google Voice Assistant and the Play Store, other services will be added soon.
Among these applications, two video-on-demand applications will be offered to US Polestar customers, as well as Volvo, Ford, Acura, Buick and other brands whose models use Android Automotive. Newcomers are HBO's Max, and Peacock. Angry Birds, which is very popular in the mobile version, will also be physically embedded on the screen of the respective vehicles.
It is clear that these new features will only work when the car is parked, to avoid any distraction to the driver while he is on the road. Only the Porsche brand has managed to overcome this limit. The Macan EV's central screen has a protective layer that prevents the driver from seeing the screen while the car is moving. The passenger will be able to entertain himself while the car is in motion.
New categories of applications
Because a car is not a phone, Android Automotive limits the types of apps that can be installed onboard to five categories: media, navigation, places of interest, home automation, and online video.
New categories should be added soon to the platform. Games, web browsers, and weather apps are already in beta mode and should become official soon. Google will also add a communications category for video calling services like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Meet (also from Google).
The latter can benefit from the possibility of pairing a keyboard, mouse or even a stereo headset via Bluetooth to the car's multimedia system, to offer more advanced calling functions. Here again, it will be necessary to ensure that the car is not in a precarious position for tasks that are more common in the office than in the passenger compartment.
Photo: Polestar
Polestar 4, interior
Android Auto highlights
Many motorists were familiar with Android Auto when Google and some automakers announced the creation of Android Automotive, a multimedia system built directly into the dashboard. Android Auto is actually just a form of screen mirroring of the control panel of some of the apps on your phone.
The arrival of Android Automotive has created some confusion among some motorists, so much so that many are wondering if this is the beginning of the end for Android Auto. However, this is probably not the case.
In fact, Google is also updating this interface to include more car-sharing apps, like Uber. This would allow Uber drivers to display information about their trips directly on their car's screen, rather than doing so on their phone, which is linked to a dock that is itself stuck in the dashboard.
We will soon know which car brands and applications will be the first to benefit from these two updates. In the case of the Android Automotive system, Polestar cars will certainly be the first to inherit it, as the Swedish brand has not hesitated to adopt this system since the launch of its first consumer model, the Polestar 2 sedan.
The launch of the Polestar 3, an SUV derivative of this compact sedan, would be a good time to introduce this update from Google Automotive…
