The latest iteration of Android Auto, known as “Coolwalk” to many, brings a new dashboard interface that’s quite great to use, but it also removed the persistent weather icon for the vast majority of users. There is some evidence that it could be coming back, though.
The persistent weather icon has had quite a history on Android Auto. Back in the platform’s original form, there was a constant card on the homescreen for surrounding weather conditions which could trigger a readout of the forecast when tapped. When Android Auto saw its big revamp a few years later, that was done away with, only to be added back as an icon tucked away in the corner. And that, in “Coolwalk,” it was removed yet again.
Earlier this year, a Google employee hinted that the company would look into bringing back a form of weather icon to Android Auto’s latest design, and it seems that may finally be in progress.
Firstly, a bit of background. Technically, “Coolwalk” does have a weather card that can appear on the dashboard, but it currently doesn’t show on all displays. Large displays, especially those with added vertical space, will show the card by default, but the smaller displays that most of us have won’t trigger that card, at least not without some tweaking.
As spotted by Reddit user u/shmykelsa, the person who initially discovered Coolwalk in its early days, there has been some progress in expanding that weather card to more screen sizes.
A flag that’s currently inoperable within the Android Auto app would enable the weather card on “all screens.” This doesn’t work currently, but our Kyle Bradshaw was able to confirm that the toggle is relatively new to the Android Auto app.
It’s unclear at this point when persistent weather information might return to most Android Auto users, but at the very least, things seem to be in motion. In the meantime, Android Auto now has one weather app available, with The Weather Channel coming soon too.
More on Android Auto:
- Motorola MA1, the wireless Android Auto adapter, is coming to UK and Europe
- Waze will show EV stations on Android Auto and CarPlay
- AAWireless, the wireless Android Auto adapter, gets permanent price cut to $79.99
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