Starting this week in the U.S., Google Assistant will become the default assistant for Android Auto, one in a series of changes for the assistant announced today ahead of the start of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
With Google Assistant in Android Auto, people will be able to do a variety of things they could do before like play music on Spotify, get step-by-step directions from Google Maps or Waze, or send text messages, but they can also do things like control smart home devices, so as you get home you can say “OK Google, turn on the living room lights” before you get out of the car.
Google Assistant will also help make Android Auto a portal to more local services. Some services to be added to the Assistant experience in the near future include the ability to reserve parking spaces with SpotHero and place food and drink orders on the way to Starbucks, according to a Google blog post.
Android Auto is able to interact with a number of apps for news, music, and sports, and send hands-free messages with popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Skype, and Hangouts.
Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and starting today Kia can also use Google Assistant on other devices to ask about things like car fuel levels or ask to lock your car doors.
Also announced today: Google Assistant is being optimized to work with additional wireless headphones, smart speakers, and appliances from brands like LG and Sony. Touchscreen devices that interact with Google Assistant and utilize a visual user interface with cards, carousels and videos are also on the way from brands like Sony, LG, and JBL.
Unlike the new visual devices, drivers using Assistant with Android Auto should continue to expect a minimal amount of visuals in order to avoid distractions, Google Assistant VP Scott Huffman told VentureBeat in an interview.
“We have kind of defaulted to a very verbal user interface as a starting point and then over time well start to add things like weather cards and other things we think will lower the distraction levels for users for a very verbal UI,” Huffman said.
A competitor with Apple CarPlay and a growing number of vehicles with Alexa inside, Android Auto can be deployed a number of ways in a vehicle.
Android Auto can be set to appear on car displays in 400 vehicles from more than 40 brands such as Audi, Ford, Mitsubishi, and Volkswagen. Amazon’s Alexa has been integrated into vehicles from BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen.
Cars that lack this ability can download the Android Auto app on a smartphone and start up whenever your phone detects your car’s Bluetooth.
