Android Auto 13.4 update rolling out, adds colorful flare with Material You accents [Gallery]

Ben Schoon | Dec 19 2024 - 12:15 pm PT

Google appears to be adding Material You accent colors to Android Auto, with some colorful accents showing up in the latest updates.

Android Auto 13.4 is now rolling out to all users and, while there’s not much to see behind the scenes, there’s a notable user-facing change. Google has introduced Material You to Android Auto, with new colorful accents showing up throughout the UI to match what’s on your phone.

Or, at least that’s starting to happen.

While using Android Auto 13.4 on a Pixel 9 Pro Fold, we noticed that Google has applied accent colors to system elements including buttons, toggles, and the background colors of cards and menus. This already existed a very limited capacity within music apps, which change their UI elements to match album art, but this change works throughout the system itself. It doesn’t seem to apply to apps on Android Auto.

Notable places where you can see the altered colors include in the Settings menu, in notifications, and in the notification center. You must have the setting for matching your phone’s wallpaper turned on to see the colors.

From what we can tell, this isn’t “finished.” The colors are inconsistent to change when you update the colors on your phone, sometimes only changing if you force stop the Android Auto app and reconnect, or not changing at all.

Presumably, Google will be making further updates over time.

Let us know in the comments if you’re seeing this change in your vehicle, and how it’s working for you!