Android Auto - Hands On Review

Having taken over smart TVs (see: Android TV, WebOS and Tizen), mobile operating systems are now making a bid for your car’s dashboard. Apple recently introduced CarPlay, which offers iPhone owners the ability to send and receive text messages, launch apps, and control navigation, all without having to reach for their phone. Not to be outdone, Google introduced its own in-car system, Android Auto, which, like CarPlay, is designed to keep drivers’ eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel.

Fair disclosure: I’ve been an iPhone owner since the iPhone 4. However, I’m no stranger to Android. I regularly use Android tablets and phones, and I’ve had an LG G Flex 2 on standby in anticipation of this very review. I also happen to prefer Google Maps to Apple Maps, and with the arrival of Android M, Google Now is set to get a whole lot more powerful than Siri. That’s enough to make me consider switching teams. However, as I’ve learned from my time with Android Auto, just because something works well on the phone it won’t necessarily work well (or at all) in the dash – just like CarPlay.

Presently, Android Auto feels stripped down in terms of core functionality, and it has some bugs, but I will say it has a decent selection of apps right off the bat. At any rate, the system is totally worth getting into, if only to ditch the kludgy system your car came with. Plus, it’s bound to get better over time thanks to future updates. Even if it isn’t perfect, Android Auto is going to stick around, so you might as well get hip to it now.

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