Android Auto gets its first garage door opener app, here’s how it works

Ben Schoon | Jun 13 2023 - 6:47 am PT

Google has opened the doors to more types of apps on Android Auto, and that now includes the very first garage door opener app, which we’ve been able to spend some time with.

Android Auto apps were traditionally limited to only a few categories. Navigation and media made up the vast, vast majority of apps until very recently. We’ve since seen apps such as Samsung SmartThings open the door to smart home apps, Weather & Radar bringing the first weather app, and Google announced last month that Zoom and Webex would also gain support.

Tailwind is jumping on board with that with the very first app dedicated to opening your garage door on Android Auto, which, frankly, seems like an overdue app category for the platform.

The Tailwind experience on Android Auto is pretty dead simple. Just open the app from your app drawer and tap the door of your choosing. This, of course, only works with Tailwind systems, which start at $80 from the company’s website, but there’s no further fee beyond the purchase of the system. A single system can handle up to three doors, and you can see all of your doors directly from the Android Auto app.

Simply tap to open, and tap again to close. In practice, this works fairly well, though I did notice it’s a little slow. There’s a few-second delay in opening and even longer in closing. It’s not faster than the remote on my car, but I did see a few use cases.

This could be useful for a multicar household that doesn’t have enough remotes to go around. Another great use is for checking the door’s status when you’ve already left. There have been many times I’ve forgotten to press my remote until I’m far out of range, and Tailwind’s Android Auto app lets me check the status and actually close the door when I’m up the road or even miles away without actually taking out my phone. That also makes it much more useful than the Google Assistant integration available on many other smart door openers.

Tailwind’s Android Auto garage door app is rolling out now to all existing owners for free through an update on the Play Store.