Android Auto is arguably one of the best ways to mirror your Android smartphone"s display to your car for navigation. You can use Android Auto to listen to your favorite music, message or receive calls, and use the apps that you love from your phone while you are driving. Over the years, Android Auto has gained several features that have fine-tuned the app"s user experience.
Now, according to a recent report, Google is rolling out a new Google Assistant UI for Android Auto that appears during voice interactions. Notably, this doesn"t replace the UI that appears at the bottom of the screen, as it is still available for supported commands.
The new Android Auto Google Assistant UI appears when the assistant is waiting for a reply from you. As per 9To5Google, the new Google Assistant UI shows up in a circular-shaped pill and goes away when the reply is processed.
While this isn"t something prominent, it gives the Google Assistant UI a fresh touch. However, the new Android Auto Google Assistant UI looks similar to how Apple"s Siri looks on CarPlay. The new UI was spotted in Android Auto v12.5 running on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.
Recently, Google pushed offline Maps support for Wear OS smartwatches. The feature was announced during the Made by Google event where the company introduced the Pixel 9 series, Pixel Watch 3, and the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
The latest update of the Google Maps for Wear OS automatically syncs offline maps saved on your phone to your watch over Wi-Fi and when charging. The new offline Google Maps support is visible on the Google Maps Wear OS app version 11.140.0701.W.
Last month, Google Maps also added India-specific features to its Android and iOS app. The app finally brought a flyover navigation feature, which highlights when to take a flyover. Previously flyovers weren"t separately displayed during navigation. The update also simplifies the process of reporting road incidents.