At I/O 2019 in May, Google announced Assistant Driving Mode as its new in-car navigation and help experience. In September, the Assistant-based feature was delayed, and Google announced “Android Auto for phone screens” as a stopgap measure. That standalone app is now available in the Play Store.
Assistant Driving Mode is supposed to replace Android Auto for phones. However, Google was not able to launch it before Android 10 — missing the summer release completely. For some users, the Android Auto icon physically disappears from the launcher on the newest operating system, thus making it difficult to open.
This app lets you use Android Auto on your phone screen with a phone running Android 10. If you have Android 10 and an Android Auto compatible car, you can project to your car display without downloading this app. Simply plug in your phone to get started.
Those affected can now download “Android Auto for phone screens” from Google Play. It essentially adds a homescreen icon that you can tap to launch the full Auto experience on your mobile device. It’s the same icon save for a tiny blue phone in the bottom-right corner.
For some, the Auto icon is still available on Android 10 and never disappeared. Meanwhile, I was not able to install the phone screens app on a Pixel 4 due to a “Your device isn’t compatible with this version” error.
According to the Play Store, the app was released on November 4th, but the last update (version 1.1) was interestingly on October 29th. Google does not have a new release date for Assistant Driving Mode.
More about Android Auto:
- Ford is bringing Android Auto Wireless to ‘select’ 2020 vehicles
- Volvo is using Android Automotive in its electric XC40 SUV [Video]
- Comment: ‘Android Auto for Phone Screens’ is a rare Google consolation
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