Android Auto appears to be adding support for controlling your car’s radio

Ben Schoon | Jul 17 2024 - 10:05 am PT

One of the key points of appeal for Android Auto and CarPlay is the ability to control media from music and podcast apps, but both platforms currently ignore the car’s built-in radio. Soon, though, that may change.

About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.

As it stands today, Android Auto takes over media control for your car and supports apps and services that play music and podcasts from your smartphone. This might include YouTube Music, Spotify, or others. Some cars will still let you listen to the built-in radio while using Android Auto, but this often requires juggling between Android Auto itself and the car’s native software, which can lead to issues and, at the very least, takes your eyes off of the road for longer.

To help with that, it seems Android Auto is adding support for controlling your car’s radio.

In the latest versions of Android Auto, v12.3 and v12.4, we spotted new strings that hint at support for “Car Radio” controls. This includes switching between AM and FM stations, as well as support for “HD Radio.”

<string name=”radio_node_am_display_name”>AM</string>

<string name=”radio_node_dab_display_name”>DAB</string>

<string name=”radio_node_fm_display_name”>FM</string>

<string name=”radio_node_fm_hd_display_name”>HD Radio</string>

<string name=”radio_selection_error”>Radio program not available</string>

<string name=”radio_service_label”>Car Radio</string>

This functionality isn’t live yet, but we’ll speculate that it might appear as an app, perhaps using the same basic UI as other media apps. Or, like the shortcut that goes back to your car’s software, perhaps it might simply act as a shortcut to the car’s radio interface. That seems less likely, though, especially as it would surely require software updates from car manufacturers.

Whatever the case, the foundation for this functionality is here, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on when it nears release.

Meanwhile, we also noticed that Google has purged many of the strings related to wallpapers. This is likely because, earlier late last year, the company updated Android Auto to copy your phone’s wallpaper, negating any need to have dedicated wallpapers for the car itself.

This update has also tweaked the language on many parts of Android Auto relating to when the connected phone is too hot, now telling users how they can “improve phone performance” through actions such as turning off the display, flashlight, or hotspot, as well as not using a wireless charger.

Android Auto versions 12.3 and 12.4 are currently rolling out through both the stable and beta channels in the Play Store.