Drivers get their wish as Android Auto adds Waze
It was the top request sent into Google from users of the infotainment system
Waze, the popular traffic app, is coming to Android Auto, Google announced Wednesday at its developer conference, Google I/O.
The news is part of a variety of Android Auto updates due to arrive in the next few months, which include the addition of “hotwording,” or being able to wake up the in-car platform by saying, “OK Google.”
Android Auto also will soon be able to sync with a compatible infotainment system through a car’s built-in WiFi network, eliminating the need for a cable.
For those who don’t own modern vehicles, the full Android Auto experience will be made available for smartphones through a forthcoming update to the app.
And automakers will begin rolling out their own apps for Android Auto soon, the company said. New apps from Honda and Hyundai give owners access to a range of in-car features ranging from service center locations to car diagnostics.
“What Google and others are doing is just creating a seamless and safe way to allow consumers to stay connected once they’re in the car,” says Patrick Brady, who runs engineering for Android Auto.
Adding Waze, the Israel-based company Google bought for $1.1 billion in 2013, was the top request submitted to Google by Android Auto users, Brady says.
Previously, owners of the more than 100 Android Auto-compatible car models, ranging from Fords to Volvos, only had access to Google Maps for in-dash navigation.
Using the Waze app meant unplugging a smartphone that was connected to the Android Auto platform.
Google’s pitch to developers this week is that popular auto-related apps can find a way onto the Android Auto platform as long as they’re developed to work with the company’s Auto SDK, or software developer kit. There are currently more than 50 apps available on Google Play for Android Auto, ranging from WhatsApp to Stitcher Radio. While Google expects the number of Android Auto-compatible apps to grow, Brady says developers would do well to focus on a few key categories.