{"id":251288,"date":"2026-05-21T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/i-just-tested-the-next-generation-of-android-auto-and-its-a-huge-leap-forward-that-embarrasses-apple-carplay\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T08:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:20:10","slug":"i-just-tested-the-next-generation-of-android-auto-and-its-a-huge-leap-forward-that-embarrasses-apple-carplay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/i-just-tested-the-next-generation-of-android-auto-and-its-a-huge-leap-forward-that-embarrasses-apple-carplay\/","title":{"rendered":"I just tested the next-generation of Android Auto, and it\u2019s a huge leap forward that embarrasses Apple CarPlay"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just tested the next-generation of Android Auto, and it\u2019s a huge leap forward that embarrasses Apple CarPlay<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/vehicle-tech\/i-just-tested-the-next-generation-of-android-auto-and-its-a-huge-leap-forward-that-embarrasses-apple-carplay<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-05-21 08:00:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.tomsguide.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The next generation of Android Auto was announced at the Android Show, and I got to properly test it at Google I\/O. In short: Apple CarPlay feels washed in comparison \u2014 let me explain.<\/p>\n

It takes the car from simply being something you go from Point A to Point B in, and adds an additional layer of making it a central hub for navigation, productivity on-the-go and entertainment. And with Gemini thrown in, Cars with Google built-in just took an evolutionary agentic AI step too.<\/p>\n

So I took a (simulated) ride in the Kia EV9 with Android Auto and the full Google built-in Volvo EX60 to see what the upgrades bring to the table.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos From<\/span><\/span><\/span>
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On-the-go<\/h2>\n

\n

\"Android\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/p>\n

It all starts with the biggest update to Google Maps in over a decade \u2014 Immersive Navigation provides a nice 3D view with a huge increase in details like lanes, traffic lights and stop signs. Being able to see everything with greater clarity like this is a huge step forward for getting around.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Android\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the multi-widget layout of the new Material 3 Expressive design, which creates a really nice, refined UI for the car and multiple app widgets for quick glance interactions.<\/p>\n

Top it all off with Gemini and even agentic actions like ordering a meal on Doordash for when you get home (and even adjusting Google Home controls), and it simplifies the idea of multitasking while you drive with the power of your voice \u2014 all in a way that Apple CarPlay has never been able to do.<\/p>\n

Stuck in traffic<\/h2>\n

Image 1 of 2<\/p>\n

\"Android(Image credit: Future)<\/span>\"Android(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/p>\n

But if there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learnt while out here at Google\u2019s campus, it\u2019s that you spend most of your time in California stuck in traffic not really doing much at all. The standstills are painful, and if you\u2019re in an EV, you could be spending up to 30 minutes sat in your car waiting for it to charge.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great…<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just tested the next-generation of Android Auto, and it\u2019s a huge leap forward that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":251289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PC32WMU9qCFmRhLnLQHj5D-2560-80.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[70],"class_list":["post-251288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-android","tag-google"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251288"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251288"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251290,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251288\/revisions\/251290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}