Android Auto wants to let you play videos while driving, but it’s not what you think

Android Automotive has gotten a good bit of attention lately. In January, Google announced a car-ready mobile apps program allowing developers to tailor their apps for running on the in-car operating system. At the recent Google I/O conference, the company announced the video app category was finally open for business, and promised similar expansion for Android Auto later this year.

So far, apps can only play video while the car is parked. As 9to5Google noticed in a developer preview video, Google’s working to change that, without taking too much focus away from driving. If the currently early-access feature makes it to the public release, apps will be able to play the audio portion of streamed media, but not the video, so you can enjoy content without excess distraction.

Full-featured Android in your car

An especially mobile mobile ecosystem

Not to be confused with the phone-based Android Auto interface, Android Automotive is the form the operating system takes when it’s installed in a car. It’s the same full-featured Android OS you know and love, engineered to work better in cars and run apps designed specifically for vehicles.

The addition of audio-only streaming makes particular sense when accessing live content like sporting events, where you can often get the gist of the action without seeing it onscreen. Android developers are also working to streamline the transition between full-on video streaming and the new, low-distraction version, so you don’t miss a beat when starting your trip. It could be especially useful when, for example, monitoring to-the-minute weather and traffic updates to keep yourself out of a nasty situation.

So far, only members of a special early access program can use the video-free playback feature, and it must be explicitly enabled within new and updated apps. Most likely, not every Android Automotive video app will support it out of the gate, and some might not ever. It’s also available only to cars running Android Automotive 14, the OS’s latest version.

Android Auto gets some love, too

A sign of things to come

The interface that links your phone to an Android Auto-enabled vehicle infotainment system isn’t quite as robust as the complete OS, but Google’s also giving it the video app treatment soon. While Android Automotive is currently accepting video apps and beta testing browsers and games, Android Auto remains slightly behind, with video and browser apps “coming soon.” Rest assured, they are coming.

Once they arrive, it’s a short leap to assume they’ll eventually get access to audio-only stream playback. The catch is, it could take a while. Android Auto video playback is already slated to require Android 16 and work only on “select compatible cars,” indicating Google’s working directly with manufacturers to enhance video support via both the lightweight Auto and full-fat Automotive interfaces.

In other words, there’s no clear timeline for Android Auto to get audio-only playback, and it could take several months for Google to work out all the kinks. But the pieces to the puzzle are all laid. It’s the latest bit of evidence that Google is investing heavily in its vehicle-focused OS development, and both Android Auto and Automotive should continue improving in the months to come.