As much of a fan of Google’s products as I am, the company’s naming scheme is still incredibly confusing. Qualcomm still holds the crown, but Google also has a habit of giving completely different products very similar names. Check out Google Wallet and Google Pay. Another good example of this is Android Auto and Android Automotive.
The two names Android Auto and Android Automotive sound almost the same, which is why many people still get confused. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen people assume Android Auto is a diminutive of Android Automotive.
But not really. Despite the very similar branding, the two platforms work quite differently. Here are five major differences between Android Auto and Android Automotive.
Android Auto requires your phone, Android Automotive does not
The most basic and biggest difference between the two is that Android Auto mirrors your phone on your car’s display, while Android Automotive is a complete operating system.
Android Auto is completely dependent on your smartphone. You connect your Android phone to your car wirelessly or via USB, and the car’s screen becomes a secondary display for Google Maps, Spotify, WhatsApp and more.
Android Automotive, on the other hand, runs directly on the car’s own hardware. The operating system is built into the vehicle itself, meaning you don’t need to connect your phone to use navigation, music streaming or video apps. Think of it as Android OS, but designed for cars.
Android automotive vehicles usually come with their own cellular connectivity for traffic updates, app downloads and other connected features.
Android Automotive controls a real car
Another major difference between Android Auto and Android Automotive comes down to hardware access. Because Android Auto mirrors your phone on the car’s display, it only has access to things like the screen and audio output. It cannot control features such as air conditioning, seat ventilation or other vehicle functions,
Android Automotive, on the other hand, is built directly into the car from the ground up. Because of this, it can control more than infotainment. It can manage climate systems, heated seats, window defogger, ambient lighting and EV-specific functions depending on the vehicle.
You can ask Gemini directly on Android automotive cars to control the car’s systems, whereas you can’t experience this on cars with Android Auto.
Android automotive cars may not have Google apps
One thing that makes Android Automotive confusing is that not every Android Automotive car actually comes with Google’s apps and services.
Because the platform is Android Automotive. Carmakers can choose whether to license Google Automotive Services or GAS, which includes Google Maps, Gemini, the Google Play Store and other Google apps.
There are still some Android automotive cars that don’t ship with GAS. However, new Android automotive vehicles from Ford, Honda, Polestar, Volvo and other brands are now moving towards adding Google’s services by default.
Android Auto, on the other hand, is much simpler in that respect. Because it mirrors your phone directly on the car’s display, you automatically get access to Google services like Google Maps, YouTube Music and other apps directly from your phone once it’s connected.
Android Auto and Automotive are not updated at the same time
Since Android Auto is mostly tied to your smartphone, new features usually arrive via updates to your phone itself. If Google adds a new Android Auto feature, you’ll get it through Android Auto apps or Google Play Services updates, both of which usually update automatically in the background.
Android Automotive works very differently. Since this is the actual operating system that powers the car, updates are handled just like phone software updates. Just like Google updates Pixel phones and Samsung releases One UI updates for Galaxy devices, Android automotive updates are delivered by the car manufacturer rather than directly by Google.
This creates a huge dependency on the automaker itself. Some brands are great when it comes to long-term software support, while others are slow with updates.
While Android Automotive can offer a much deeper and more advanced experience over time, the actual experience depends on how committed the car manufacturer is to software updates.
If you’ve got Android in your car, it’s probably Android Auto
All things considered, if you’ve used a modern car infotainment system in the past few years, you’ve probably used Android Auto.
Because Android Auto is available in a large number of vehicles today. Android Automotive, on the other hand, is a much bigger commitment for automakers because the operating system must be built directly into the car’s architecture instead of simply supporting phone projection.
Sure, a lot of vehicles from brands like Volvo, Polestar, and Ford now use Android Automotive as their base platform, but it’s still fair to say that Android Automotive isn’t as common as Google had hoped.
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