Google closes the Android Auto phone app

Android Auto is best known as a way to access your phone through a car’s dashboard – this allows you to easily access Google Maps, music apps, and data without needing to use your phone. But for years, Google has also provided an Android Auto experience right on a phone, for people who don’t have a compatible dashboard unit. More recently, Google also worked on an “assistant driving mode” (pictured above) which arrived earlier this year after some delays. Now that Google Assistant’s driving mode is finished, the company will stop offering the old Android Auto experience on phones running Android 12.

A Google statement shared with 9to5Google confirms this plan. The Google Assistant driving mode is our next evolution of the mobile driving experience, ”the statement said. “For people who use Android Auto in supported vehicles, this experience will not go away. For those who use the experience on the phone (Android Auto mobile app), they will switch to the Google Assistant driving mode. From Android 12, the Google Assistant driving mode will be the integrated mobile driving experience. We have no further details to share at this time. “

Before Google confirmed this change, some Pixel owners running Android 12 received a notification when they tried to run the Android Auto app on their phones. He said Android Auto was now “only available for car screens” and recommended that they try out the Google Assistant driving experience instead. Since the new Google Assistant experience will clearly be the focus in the future, failover probably isn’t a big deal for most people. But if you don’t upgrade your phone to Android 12, you’ll be able to continue running the Android Auto app, at least for now.