Android Auto update: New features make driving safer, simpler
Android Auto update: New features make driving safer, simpler
Publish Date: 2026-05-18 11:35:00
Source Domain: www.usatoday.com
May 18, 2026, 11:35 a.m. ET
- Android Auto’s latest update offers a more personalized and customizable in-car experience.
- The software now adapts to various infotainment screen sizes and allows for custom widgets.
- Video streaming from apps like YouTube will be available in select parked cars later this year.
Android Auto’s latest refresh makes the in-car software system feel more personal and customizable for drivers.
The system’s new experience includes several features that are completely novel and haven’t been possible with older iterations. American drivers use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for navigation, music and podcast streaming. The systems have become wildly popular across the globe and many automakers manufacture vehicles with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay because of the strong demand.
Here’s how millions of drivers can benefit from the latest Android Auto refresh.
Android Auto adapts to your infotainment screen
All infotainment screens aren’t designed equally, and previous iterations of Android Auto fit awkwardly on some smaller touchscreen systems. Now, thanks to the latest update, Android Auto is “tailored to fit and look great on any screen, whether it’s an ultrawide rectangle, a circle or a unique shape,” according to Google’s The Keyword blog.
This improvement is great for cars with smaller or unconventional infotainment screens, but it’s just one of the many ways that the software system is becoming more personal to its users. Android Auto now lets drivers customize their screens using widgets from their smartphones allowing you to conveniently check the weather, call a favorite contact and more from the primary display screen.
Drivers can also customize screens with wallpapers, animations and fonts, bringing more of your phone’s favorite personalization features to your car’s infotainment system screen.
Google Maps just got even better on Android Auto
Edge-to-edge Google Maps is here, allowing drivers to expand the Maps app across the entire…
