6 CarPlay features Android Auto desperately needs

CarPlay and Android Auto are two sides of the same coin. They bring your phone’s best features to your car’s screen. Even when your vehicle doesn’t natively support them, you can turn that situation around with wired or wireless adapters. While Android Auto gives you more freedom with third-party apps, CarPlay focuses on being a simple companion when navigating routes.

Both systems are great in their respective lanes. Still, Android Auto could learn a thing or two from CarPlay’s polished experience. Here are the top five things it needs to bring over to improve the user experience.

6

Consistent connection in different vehicles

Android Auto is problematic, even with wired connections that are supposedly better. It pairs seamlessly with your phone on some days. Other days, it refuses to work. If you can troubleshoot it, you’ll most likely face the issue again when you reconnect your device another time.

The inconsistency is because Auto supports a range of car brands and phone models. Each presents unique hardware and software versions. It’s rarely an issue with CarPlay because Apple controls both aspects in most cases. Every iPhone runs iOS and compatible cars must follow their strict requirements. Meanwhile, Auto exists in a more fragmented ecosystem.

Instead of allowing each carmaker to tweak its integration independently, Google should require them to use a reference implementation framework that ties all loose ends, similar to Apple. It can also introduce error correction algorithms that allow Auto to retry USB connections instead of failing outright. It would be nice to receive diagnostics notifications telling you if your cable isn’t delivering enough power or what the issue is.

5

Less distracting interface

You don’t need to use complex apps or games on their car’s navigation panel. Your basic needs come down to navigation, music, and hands-free communication. Android Auto brings many interesting apps. However, you’re more likely to use them when you’re parked or if you have passengers. Android Auto needs to rethink its approach to the car experience.

Android Auto tries to squeeze a phone interface into a car screen. CarPlay feels purpose-built for driving. Apple designed it with clear priorities. You need minimal distractions and a fluid connection between the phone and the car. The good thing is that Google made the interface customizable. If you don’t like what you see on your infotainment system, trim down your view to determine the apps or elements you need the most.

4

More natural directions

Google Maps is the king of navigation on phones. It has the most detailed and accurate map data from years of collecting real-time traffic updates, business listings, street views, and user reports. Its search functionality also understands contexts and considers reviews, popularity, and real-time foot traffic to bring you results.

These features are a distraction in a car, and feel less refined. Despite its shortcomings elsewhere, Apple Maps shines on CarPlay because it’s built with the car experience in mind. Visual lane guidance is clearer, and it presents information in a way that feels natural with Siri.

3

Smoother touch control and interactions

CarPlay runs entirely on your phone. You’re screen mirroring the interface to the car’s screen. Performance is as smooth as your mobile device allows. The refresh rate, chipset, and other factors contribute to performance quality. It drains the battery, but interaction is generally smoother.

Android Auto runs inside your car’s infotainment system while using the phone mainly for internet and app data. Performance depends on the car’s hardware, which can vary. If the system is slow, Auto lags or crashes, even if your phone is powerful.

Many cars use weaker processors that can’t match the performance of a flagship smartphone. It’s not entirely Android Auto’s fault, but the manufacturers’. They decide what hardware goes into their infotainment systems, and many use lower-end tech to cut costs.

Still, Google can help alleviate these problems if it optimizes Auto for weaker car processors. For starters, introduce a lightweight mode that reduces animation complexity, limits background processes, and prioritizes responsiveness over visual effects.

2

Adaptive UI scaling

Apple has a straightforward rule. If you want to use an app beyond what’s available in CarPlay’s dashboard, browse the App Store. Every software that appears on your screen is pre-approved, optimized, and meets Apple’s UI guidelines. In trying to be more flexible, Android Auto allows third-party apps without the same level of control. You can download apps outside the Google Play Store at any time.

This openness is great for customization, but not all apps have UI’s that are scaled properly. We can’t expect Google to block third-party apps. It’s part of their selling point. Still, quality control is important. It’s possible to strike a balance with certification that would allow you to know which apps are best suited for in-car use without limiting your choices.

While browsing the Play Store, you’ll see a badge next to apps that meet Google’s in-car performance standards. It should indicate which ones have been tested as touch-friendly and present minimal driver distraction.

1

Smart and informative Focus mode

Android’s Do Not Disturb (DND) mode is designed to shut people out. It blocks notifications, regardless of whether a person knows you’re driving. It doesn’t inform them of your status, so they have no idea why you’re not responding. If someone needs to reach you, they can call multiple times to break through the setting.

CarPlay takes a slightly communicative approach. When you turn it on, your iPhone shows a car icon in the status bar and on the lock screen. The service shares it in the Messages app, so everyone can see a message letting them know you silenced notifications on the road.

More importantly, Driving Focus only allows people to bypass it, not apps. If one tries to send a notification, it won’t come through unless you manually check it later. It’s something that Auto allows. It’s a tiny detail, but it matters. It’s easy to ignore people, especially when they want something from us. Apps, on the other hand, are distracting.

If you set exceptions in CarPlay’s Focus mode or DND, you may be tempted to look. Apple forces you to choose between allowing people or no one at all. Since you can’t make an exception for an app, you’re not constantly pulled in by notifications. You’re just driving in peace as it should be.

You deserve a system that moves with you

Android Auto isn’t perfect and Google needs to fix numerous things. Unpredictable connection issues are among them, as well as overheating in wireless mode. Even with its flaws, most people still choose Android Auto over CarPlay. If Google can fine-tune the experience while keeping its strengths intact, it could surpass CarPlay in every way.