Summary
- Version 14 of Android Auto is in beta testing with minor bug fixes.
- Google is developing temperature and defrost controls for the UI.
- New settings category on Android Auto for incident reporting and navigation alerts is also referenced in the latest beta code.
For years now, Android Auto has served as the best tool to extend your phone’s features to your vehicle’s infotainment screen, perhaps even on motorcycles. It’s a convenient way to have navigation, media, and call controls in your line of sight if the carmaker didn’t offer Android Automotive as an option. While users continue to see infrequent bugs with wireless Android Auto connectivity, Google is hard at work developing new features, as evidenced by the latest beta version for Android Auto.
Version 13.9 of the app is rolling out to users already, packing a few minor bug fixes. The next major release has just entered the beta testing phase. 9to5Google reports version 14 doesn’t have significant user-facing changes, but a closer peek into the lines of code reveals Google is developing temperature controls as well as defrost toggles for the front and rear.
”control_defrost_front”> FRONT
”control_defrost_rear”> REAR
While Android Auto offers a full suite of smartphone features in your vehicle, it usually doesn’t offer control for vehicle features such as AC and traction control through its UI. So, seeing the code strings referencing defrost controls which relate to temperature doesn’t add up without the context of where these controls will feature. Since there are no user-facing elements uncovered for it, we might have to wait some more.
Incident reporting and navigation alerts could get a new subsection
Still in the works
“ALERT_SETTINGS_CATEGORY_TITLE”> Alerts
“NAVIGATION_ALERT_SETTING”> Get alerts for reported incidents and other conditions that may impact your drive
Another code snippet from Android Auto version 14 reveals ongoing development of a new settings category which will be titled Alerts. It would presumably offer toggles for incident reports along your route while you’re navigating to a destination. 9to5Google speculates this toggle could tie in to the incident reports in Google Maps that attracted criticism from Android Auto and Apple CarPlay users for the intrusive design.
However, there is still ambiguity about the implementation and projected release timeline for these features. We suspect development will continue silently and we will see them again before a public release down the road.
