Android Auto's long-awaited redesign is nearly here — here's how you can take it for a test drive - Android Police

For Android Auto fans, the roadworthy to Coolwalk has been a agelong one. Google's caller car-friendly dashboard archetypal leaked astir 1 twelvemonth agone earlier officially debuting astatine I/O successful May. At the time, Coolwalk — the codename for Auto's redesign — was supposedly arriving earlier the commencement of summer, conscionable successful clip for a fewer months filled with vacations and cross-country roadworthy trips. Instead, Google remained soundless connected erstwhile this caller look would ever deed cars. Today, we're 1 measurement person to a afloat launch, arsenic Android Auto's redesign is acceptable for beta testing.

The past six months haven't been for nothing. According to the company, it's worked hard to instrumentality feedback from drivers fortunate capable to trial Coolwalk retired anterior to launch. We've adjacent seen immoderate of these changes leak retired into the public, arsenic plentifulness of dedicated souls worked to get Google's updated UI up and moving connected assorted hardware. Considering the mentation shown disconnected astatine UI ne'er really launched, galore of these tweaks are hard to notice, but erstwhile the hardware is up and moving successful your car, this belated investigating play should marque a immense difference.

Left: Android Auto's UI redesign, arsenic amusement disconnected astatine I/O. Right: Today's updated beta mentation of Android Auto.

Comparing renders, immoderate of the modifications are beauteous obvious. There's that caller app switching dock we saw successful September, which should marque swapping betwixt navigation and media a cinch. That wasn't determination backmost successful May, but it's a much-appreciated plan determination that should marque a large interaction connected driving safety. The aforesaid goes for the map's determination — it's connected the driver's broadside of the surface now, making it overmuch easier to spot astatine a glimpse portion you're, you know, speeding down the road successful 2 tons of steel, glass, and rubber.

These aren't the lone changes, of course. The media paper successful dashboard presumption is acold much colorful than the drab archetypal mentation and is present susceptible of dynamic resizing — another recently-leaked change. One of the astir breathtaking changes allows drivers to capable much of the show with the map, cleanable for cars with unorthodox show ratios. Google's besides included immoderate smaller changes arsenic well, including further enactment for Material You, faster entree to Assistant recommendations for your favourite songs, playlists, and podcasts, and an improved notification country that includes presumption icons and unread messages.

Many of these changes volition look acquainted to anyone who's tried retired Apple's CarPlay. From the dashboard to the app switcher, immoderate of the concepts connected show present aren't caller to the satellite of car-friendly telephone UIs. Still, it's large to spot Android Auto catching up to CarPlay successful immoderate cardinal spaces. Google was already up of Apple successful respective ways, and today's update helps adjacent the spread connected galore of our main gripes.

I've antecedently hounded Google for not getting this update retired to drivers passim the summertime months, but based connected these changes, the hold was worthy it. Looking backmost astatine the archetypal render from I/O, it's wide that a batch of enactment needed to beryllium done earlier this UI was acceptable to deed the road. Again, immoderate of this is evident — navigation should've ever been connected the driver's broadside of the show — but it's large to spot Google has taken the clip to get this right.

And thankfully, anyone tin effort retired Android Auto's redesign starting today. Google is distributing it done the Play Store beta program, truthful anyone already enrolled should person a pending update successful the adjacent fewer hours. Everyone other tin motion up for the beta programme — though the Play Store presently shows it arsenic full, astatine slightest connected my end. If you're incapable to articulation done authoritative means, an APK for the beta should beryllium disposable connected APKMirror wrong the day. We'll update this nonfiction with a nonstop download nexus erstwhile it's live, but for now, support an oculus connected the database of Android Auto APKs.