How Does Android Auto Work?
You’ll need a few things to begin with Android Auto: your phone running Android 8.0 and up, a vehicle compatible with Android Auto, and a USB cable. This last one isn’t necessary if your car is equipped with wireless Android Auto capability.
For phones running on Android 10.0 or above, you won’t need to download the app to get started—it’s already built in. Simply plug your phone into the USB cable in your car. The first time, you may be prompted to confirm that a code on your phone matches the one on your car’s screen. The next time you get in the car, you won’t have to do this.
In fact, you won’t have to do anything for Android Auto to launch. If you enable “start Android Auto automatically” on your phone’s Android Auto app settings, it will launch Android Auto as soon as the phone is plugged into the USB cable.
Some cars have wireless Android Auto capability, which means you won’t need a USB cable to connect to Android Auto. Keep in mind that this will drain your battery compared to using wired Android Auto, which charges your phone. If you want to charge your phone without a USB cable, you need a car equipped with a wireless phone charger. Wireless connectivity works on compatible phones with Android 11.0, a Google or Samsung phone with Android 10.0, and certain phones with Android 9.0.
Android Auto Updates
In a January 2023 update, Google rolled out a new split-screen layout. This functionality allows users to see navigation, media, and communication apps simultaneously on the screen. Now you can change your music without having to give up your view of Google Maps. If you receive an incoming text, that will also appear on the screen.
While promised by July, as of September 2024 Google Maps now allows users to report accidents and hazards much like its sister app, Waze. Both wired and wireless connections of Android Auto allow the use of the hazard reporting, but it requires enough vertical space to allow for the hazard icon to appear, which is a triangle shape below the compass button. Once you hit that button, you’re able to report the same incidents as you can on Waze like crashes, traffic jams, construction, lane closures, and speed traps. Also, like Waze, you may receive prompts to confirm those hazards are still there, meaning incident reporting will depend on user accuracy (like Waze).
