Porsche will adopt Android Automotive, complete with Google apps

Ben Schoon | Oct 30 2023 - 9:54 am PT

Porsche has announced a collaboration with Google which will bring Android Automotive to the carmaker’s future vehicles.

Announced in a press release, Porsche will adopt “an infotainment experience built on Android,” which is also known as Android Automotive. The same move has been announced by several other carmakers in recent years, including Volvo, Honda, and Ford, though very few vehicles are actually available today with Android Automotive on board.

But, as some other brands such as BMW have shown, adopting Android Automotive as your in-car OS doesn’t mean you have to adopt Google services too. Luckily, this isn’t the case with Porsche.

Porsche’s announcement directly confirms that “Google Maps, Google Assistant, and a wide variety of apps available through the Google Play Store” will be on its future vehicles.

The carmaker also confirmed that its take on Android Automotive will look similar to the existing Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, and that it will get “regular” updates.

Porsche will offer Google services for navigation, speech, and app ecosystem in future vehicle generations, and plans to start production in the middle of the decade. This integration of the Google ecosystem will include Google Maps, Google Assistant, and a wide variety of apps available through the Google Play Store. Porsche customers will continue to find the familiar user interface of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, including regular online updates keeping the PCM system up-to-date.

Details of the deal between Porsche and Google were not confirmed, nor were any details shared on when Porsche expects to start releasing vehicles using the new operating system. Porsche did add, though, that its partnership with Google is “a long-term venture.”

Notably, Porsche only added Android Auto (the phone-based platform) to its vehicles in 2022.