WITH FULL ASSISTANT

INTEGRATION NOW AVAILABLE, YOU CAN EXPECT TO SOON BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR SMART HOME DEVICES FROM THE ROAD.

screen, clicking into the Google Maps app brings up a familiar navigation interface, complete with dragging and pinch-to-zoom touch controls.

Deeper menu options bring up lists for suggestions and categories, and exact locations can still be typed in or spoken with voice commands. Traffic can be unchecked, but it’s on by default. Everything else about Google Maps looks familiar, and that’s heartening.

What’s really great is that exiting the Google Maps app mid-trip places a navigation card on the Android Auto home screen. You can keep tabs on the turn-byturn alerts while sorting through other notifications.

Google Maps is many people’s preferred choice when navigating in the car, so having it right there in the dashboard – replacing the car’s own, often inferior system – is very welcome.

PHONE CALLS

Safely fielding calls makes Google Dialer an important app within Android Auto, second only to getting where you want to go via Google Maps.

Its menus include recent calls listed from your phone and the ability to touch ‘Dial a number’ to reach someone outside of your frequent contacts.

The center-aligned contact list and dial pad is fairly large, which makes dialing someone up a lot easier while on the road. Microphone-initiated call functionality keeps the process even safer.

In-progress calls are themed with end and mute buttons, and there’s a hidden dialer pad for entering long extensions mid-call – just in case you have to “please listen carefully, as our menu has changed.”

The phone app’s ‘hamburger button’ in the top left reveals more options for voicemail, speed dial and missed calls. Digging isn’t always necessary. Status bar notifications allow you to see calls, texts and other alerts as they come in, and it’s easy to tap on them, then listen, then reply with voice commands and dictation.

MESSAGES

Incoming messages appear as a notification at the top of the screen, just as they do on your Android phone. You can then tap on the notification to have the message read out to you or tap the X to dismiss. Once you have listened to a message you can tap the microphone icon, say ‘Reply’, then dictate your response.

Best of all, Google’s app-agnostic nature means a wide range of messaging apps all work with Android Auto. Messaging works just as well if you use WhatsApp, Kik, Skype and others.

This alone won’t reverse the distracted driving epidemic, but it’s a whole lot better than having people take their eyes off the road for relatively unimportant reasons that can wait.

MUSIC

This open approach to third-party apps is just as welcome when playing music