[mikepurvis]

I’m in a loaner 2025 Volvo right now and I’ve honestly been pleasantly surprised with the Android Auto setup. I thought I’d never again use anything other than phone projection, but nope — I can install Google Maps and Spotify and sign into both, and then my profiles and everything are right there including search history, and it’s actually more seamless and integrated than switching between CarPlay and the native/outer car UI.

[cornholio]

Give it five years and it will be guaranteed garbage. Spotify will refuse to run on an unsupported older Android without the latest DRM API, while Google Maps will crash your system randomly, requiring you to disconnect the car battery to jumpstart it again. Volvo will offer you an upgrade of their proprietary device at the low price of $1899.

It's puzzling to see this push for general computing on devices that need to far outlast the typical release cycle of GC devices. There is nothing good that can come out of installing Android in your TV, fridge, let alone a - for fuck's sake! - a car.

If your consumer hardware needs to last for decades, then the core functionality and automation should be provided by sturdy embedded computers that are self-contained and do not require any kind of network access or regular updates, while the general computing functions functions should be provided by the user's own device or a replaceable/upgradable computer with a standardized interface.

[vv_]

I've been using Apple CarPlay on a car that was manufactured in 2016. There are some occasional issues with the infotainment system, but CarPlay works as well as it did nearly 10 years ago. It is much more likely that CarPlay will continue to function just as well whereas proprietary systems made by car manufacturers are going to start showing their age.

[Marsymars]

> Google Maps will crash your system randomly

They’ve at least got some incentive to keep this working so they can keep showing you ads.

[robocat]

> typical release cycle of GC devices

Now I have a lovely vision of the Android Auto device getting Garbage Collected when nothing depends on it.

Real life GC would be a fun project to see a geek movie of.

[seszett]

> There is nothing good that can come out of installing Android in your TV, fridge, let alone a - for fuck's sake! - a car.

Android Auto is not Android on the car, it's a protocol that allows an Android phone to use the car's system as a display, with limited UI integration.

[Peanuts99]

The version in Volvo and Polestar's is actually Android Automotive, which is it's own Android distribution with it's own version of Maps/Spotify etc. Funnily it even has Android Auto functionality too.

[mrpippy]

Restated: “Android Automotive” != “Android Auto”

[bigstrat2003]

Although it didn't use to have Android Auto, which was awful. Because as you alluded to, Android apps are not automatically available on AAOS. As it happens the music app I use is not available on AAOS, so until Volvo added Android Auto support to their cars I could not get a good experience with my music.

[cornholio]

Yes, Android Auto has some of the standardized interface features I was talking about, allowing the general computing needs to be fulfilled by a device brought by the user.

This is not what the GP is describing though, he's talking about the experience of a built in infotainment system running Android that can (for the time being) sync with his device.

[seszett]

Why did you think you'd "never again" use anything like Android Auto?

My own car is too old for Android Auto, but I sometimes drive a car that's from 2017 or so, and Android Auto works just fine on it, it's a pleasure to use (with the caveat that the phone has to be plugged in the USB port, wireless came later). So to me it seems like it always worked well.

[mikepurvis]

Overall I’m a fan of the projection model, and I definitely see the benefit in longevity as well as the ability for older vehicles to get a retrofit head unit that adds in the projection interface.

My reflection was only that I was surprised at how well the built in apps worked when I tried them… but I definitely take it on board that it’s unlikely to still work this well 5, 10, or 15 years from now, so it’s important that the car still has projection available as a fallback.

[ErigmolCt]

Having your accounts, preferences, and history follow you into the car without juggling cables or switching UIs is exactly the kind of seamless experience SDVs should be delivering