Android Auto can do a lot to transform your in-car entertainment experience. It offers instant access to popular Android apps, and delivers a seamless experience doing it. The best part is that it’s always evolving, which means as long your phone is supported, so will your vehicle’s head unit.
Naturally, there’s probably only so much that you want to do in your car, but if you were one of those people that loves to play games, you might be a little disappointed to learn that Google might be taking that away sometime in the future. The news comes from 9to5Google, revealing that the GameSnacks is currently missing from the beta version of the app.
In-car gaming could take a big hit
Now, if you’re not familiar with GameSnacks, this is something that Google introduced some years back, bringing games in a lightweight package using HTML5. It was meant to expand gaming to devices that wouldn’t normally be able to handle it, like devices with lower specifications or people with less than ideal internet connections.
GameSnacks would eventually find its way to Android Auto, providing users with a suite of games to enjoy while on the road. It’s unclear just how popular this really is, because, as you can imagine, it’s probably not all that comfortable to play games on an in-car screen. With that said, there have been various reports that GameSnacks is no longer a part of Android Auto in beta.
9to5Google reports that it noticed this change with version 15.2, but it could have been removed earlier. Of course, this isn’t the complete end of games on Android Auto, with the brand still making its “Play while parked” collection of apps available through the Play Store. Although the collection is small, you have huge hits like Angry Birds and Candy Crush.
But if GameSnacks is your go-to, we suggest keeping an eye out during the next major Android Auto update to see whether the games you love will be removed. You can still install for now if you want. But let us know in the comments if you’re seeing this with your version of Android Auto.