Google Assistant’s new Driving Mode has yet to arrive on devices, but some early hints within the Google app are pointing to support for NFC quick launch of the new feature.
The folks over at XDA were able to find strings within the latest version of the Google app which point towards support for an NFC tag. That NFC tag would be able to automatically open up the Driving Mode without requiring user interaction.
How could this be useful? One example could be the Logitech ZeroTouch car mounts from 2016 which could automatically open up Android Auto when the phone was placed down. Another possibility is a programmable NFC tag somewhere in the car which a user taps their phone on in order to open Driving Mode. Both of these would be very convenient even compared to the “Hey Google, let’s drive” command.
It’s still unclear when Google Assistant Driving Mode will roll out to users, but this NFC functionality certainly looks handy. In the meantime, Google is apparently planning to extend the life of Android Auto’s phone screen experience for users.
More on Google Assistant:
- Hands-on: The Google Assistant takeover is in full force with ‘driving mode’ [Video]
- Android Auto 4.6 preps to kill phone UI in favor of Assistant Driving Mode [APK Insight]
- Android Auto for Phone Screens app will be a ‘stopgap’ as Assistant Driving Mode delayed
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