All About Apple CarPlay & Android Auto

[Nairrk]

Android Auto 13.8 update now rolling out

After debuting in beta earlier this month, Google is now rolling out the Android Auto 13.8 update to users, but don’t expect many changes.

Android Auto updates arrive more or less on a monthly basis, with the latest v13.8 update appearing to be an overall minor patch. Google doesn’t provide an official changelog, but this update likely delivers various bug fixes behind the scenes among other tweaks.

In our brief testing, we’ve not noticed any direct user-facing changes with this latest update. This update also doesn’t address a “reboot” issue that made headlines last week despite affecting a very small number of users.

In the code of Android Auto 13.8, we noticed further work on “new parked apps.” Google first started adding this language to the app in the v13.7 update that rolled out early this month.

We believe this to be related to Google’s efforts to bring more apps to Android Automotive and Android Auto, a program which bore its first fruits last week as Google announced support for “dozens” of new streaming and gaming apps for cares with Android Automotive. Google says on a developer page that this program will extend to Android Auto “at a later date.”

New strings in Android Auto 13.8 continue to build on this, with further additions for apps that work while the vehicle is parked.

• <string name=”open_new_app”>Tap to open</string>
• <string name=”open_new_parked_app”>Open while parked</string>

These changes are not yet user-facing, though.

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[Nairrk]

Android Auto’s reboot issue was seemingly caused by obscure developer settings

If you recently heard about strange reboot issues with Android Auto but didn’t run into those problems yourself, it seems the reason is that these issues were seemingly caused by developer settings.

Alarms were sounded last week regarding a potential new Android Auto bug that was causing smartphones to reboot at random while using Android Auto. That traces back to a Reddit thread where five separate users were reporting the same behavior. Android Auto would start up on their car’s display, but would cause a “soft” reboot on their phone when they interacted with certain parts of the experience.

“Soft” reboot in this context means that the Android Auto session ends and the device goes into a locked state, rather than going through a full reboot.

We couldn’t find additional reports of this behavior on Google’s support forums or other typical channels where Android Auto problems surface.

That appears to be due to how this reboot “issue” arose, as it was apparently tied to some fairly obscure Android developer settings.

In a Reddit comment, one user found on February 21st that disabling the developer settings for “Force Desktop Mode” fixed the problem. It was claimed that the Android Auto 13.8 update, rolling out now, fixed the problem, but it appears that the version installed makes no difference in this case. The problem did first appear with Android Auto 13.4, though, and downgrading to version 13.3 fixed the problem for some. So, at some point, it stands to reason that a later Android Auto update will fully solve this problem, even if the fairly obscure developer setting seems to be the root cause.

Meanwhile, there were more widespread problems with wireless Android Auto recently, as users were running into problems with the latest updates that caused wireless connectivity to break. It’s unclear if the latest release, Android Auto 13.8, solves these problems.

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[Nairrk]

Android Auto 14.0 releases in beta with prep for defrost buttons, Maps alert controls

Google has released the first Android Auto 14.0 update through its beta program and while there are no major user-facing changes, code behind the scenes continues work on temperature controls.

As we first reported earlier this month, Google added strings in Android Auto 13.9 (which is now rolling out widely to all users) which suggested some form of temperature controls as a native feature of Android Auto. The context in which those controls would be added is not yet clear, but Android Auto 14.0 continues work on this.

Strings added in Android Auto 14.0 include front and rear defrost toggles, which are not live in the actual app yet.

• <string name=”control_defrost_front”>FRONT</string>
• <string name=”control_defrost_rear”>REAR</string>

This latest update also suggests Google is working on an option to control alerts from Maps in Android Auto, specifically referring to incident reports. This appears to be preparing a new “Alerts” section in the settings menu which would possibly have a toggle for incident reports.

• <string name=”ALERT_SETTINGS_CATEGORY_TITLE”>Alerts</string>
• <string name=”NAVIGATION_ALERT_SETTING”>Get alerts for reported incidents and other conditions that may impact your drive</string>

Google faced some criticism following the rollout of incident reports on Android Auto and CarPlay due to their somewhat intrusive design, so this toggle could be aiming to solve that. Without the feature live, though, it’s hard to say for certain.

Android Auto 14.0 will likely be released to the stable track, and in turn all users, in the next couple of weeks, though an exact timeline is hard to pin down. Since there’s nothing directly user-facing in the update, though, it’s likely that Google is using this to patch other ongoing bugs or prepare to launch other new features.

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[Nairrk]

Android Auto 14.1 starts rolling out in beta with support for Android games

Google is on a hot streak of releasing new Android Auto versions, with Android Auto 14.1 having just started rolling out to beta users with promised support for select Android games playable on your car’s display.

Announced earlier this month, Android Auto is getting support for allowing certain Android games to work on your car’s display, mirroring the functionality available in cars that have “Google Built-in,” aka Android Automotive.

With the new Android Auto 14.1 update, Google has officially started rolling out support for games.

On installing this latest update – now available via the Android Auto beta program – we found that installed Android games showed up on our vehicle’s display. Angry Birds 2 and Beach Buggy Racing were both available to play, only while the vehicle was parked. As soon as the vehicle is shifted out of park, the game closes immediately and is grayed out within the app drawer and app switcher.

We tested both Angry Bird 2 and Beach Buggy Racing with a Pixel 9 Pro Fold connected via wireless Android Auto to a 2025 Subaru Forester. Both games opened perfectly well, though Google doesn’t seem to be doing much (or asking developers to make changes) to optimize these titles. Angry Birds 2 wouldn’t go past a “internet required screen” (presumably as we hadn’t opened the game previously on the device) while Beach Buggy Racing still showed “tilt” controls as an option. That said, Beach Buggy Racing did work fairly well in our test, with the game running relatively smoothly.

This also introduces a brand new behavior to Android Auto where apps are entirely fullscreen. When this happens, a swipe gesture from the top of the “screen” (which can vary depending on your vehicle) exposes an “Exit” button as seen in the clip below.

Supported games on Android Auto currently include:

• Farm Heroes Saga
• Candy Crush Soda Saga
• Angry Birds 2
• Beach Buggy Racing

Google is expected to extend this list over time, but it’s also still unclear how the company plans to roll out this functionality to users. As mentioned, it’s only live for now in Android Auto 14.1, which is only available in the beta track. In theory, 14.1’s release to the stable track should happen within the next few weeks, but it’s possible that Google could leave this test locked behind beta versions. Google just released Android Auto 14.0 to the stable track earlier this week.

It’s hard to say for certain, but we’ll probably get more details soon.

 

[Nairrk]

You can play these games on Android Auto

Android Auto has begun adding games that users can play while the car is parked, and they don’t even need to be installed on anything more than your phone. Here’s a list of every game available on Android Auto, and a little about how it works.

Games are not a new concept for Android Auto, and they’ve existed in a limited form factor via GameSnacks. The GameSnacks app was something users could download to Android Auto in their vehicle. You can think of it like one of those off-brand retro gaming consoles one could buy at a department store — it includes tons of games that are good for a quick fix but nothing incredibly popular and in-depth.

Google recently announced that another option would be available for Android Auto users, and it doesn’t require extra downloads. According to the company, the games that appear on your in-vehicle display would come directly from the paired phone, and any compatible title would appear without a download. This is only an option when the car is in park, for very obvious reasons.
As displays get bigger in cars with Android Auto, the feature will likely be a nice addition, especially if you need to kill some time.

What games can I play on Android Auto?
The list, for the time being, is slim. Google announced the feature in March 2025, and the list is set to keep growing as developers add compatibility. Since the game needs to be playable from the device and the in-vehicle display, work needs to be done to the app in some capacity.

Below is a list of the current games that can be played when an Android device is connected to Android Auto…

• Farm Heroes Saga
• Candy Crush Soda Saga
• Angry Birds 2
• Beach Buggy Racing

How to open games in Android Auto
As mentioned, these games will simply appear on the Android Auto display if they’re installed on the user’s phone. From there, it’s as easy as opening them up and playing. The functionality is currently in beta, and it may not work all the time. Downloading the latest Android Auto 14.1 update will open up the feature, and in our experience, games immediately became available on the in-vehicle display.

When in a title, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t run entirely smoothly. With beta, these games don’t seem too optimized yet. These games will also open in full screen, which requires a swipe from one of the screen edges to showcase an “exit” button.

Even in beta, this is a fun addition that should only get better over time.

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[Nairrk]

Android Auto ditches Assistant mic icon for some with Gemini around the corner

It’s no secret that Gemini is coming to Android Auto soon, but it’s not here just yet. Ahead of the rollout, though, Google is removing the Assistant-colored microphone from Android Auto, seemingly as it prepares for the switch.

To recap the status of Gemini on Android Auto thus far, the new AI assistant started to appear in app updates last year. Over the past few months, there have been more sightings and some have even been able to activate both Gemini and Gemini Live on the platform. Most recently, the Android Auto 14.0 update added several new Gemini icons and language that hinted Gemini would replace Assistant entirely.

That’s no surprise, as Google confirmed that Gemini is coming to cars when it recently announced that the Assistant would be sunset on Android phones. Google said:

Additionally, we’ll be upgrading tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches, to Gemini.​

As we wait on Google to flip the switch on Gemini for Android Auto, the latest hint towards this happening is the intermittent removal of the Assistant-colored microphone icon on the platform.

For years now, the microphone icon that appears along the bottom/side bar in Android Auto has been themed to match Assistant. The multi-colored icon is visible through many of our own images of Google’s car platform, including the one below.

But this is starting to go away.

We noticed on Android Auto 14.0 that the microphone icon had ditched its Assistant colors for a completely white design. Tapping on it still brings up Assistant, but it’s a clear change.

This isn’t the final form of this icon, it seems, as previous evidence suggests that Android Auto will replace this icon with a purple gradient mic icon to better fit with Gemini’s branding. It seems that this switch is likely in an effort to subtly signal the switch. That said, as soon as we updated to Android Auto 14.1, the Assistant colors returned, so it’s hard to say for certain what Google has planned.

Android Auto 14.1 also notably brings support for select Android games on your car’s display, as we demonstrated earlier this week.

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