Sticking with last year’s theme of putting AI into everything, Android Auto is the latest to receive the AI treatment. The improvements were shown off during last night’s Samsung Unpacked event but that doesn’t mean they will be S24-exclusive.
It’s more likely that Google gave Samsung the announcement honours due to the pair’s deepened partnership. While the extent of the improvements doesn’t seem to run very deep, they could end up saving users valuable time – whole seconds, in some cases.
Android Auto still can’t drive for you
First up is the now-familiar text summary feature. Taking your eyes off the road while you’re driving, even for a second, can have gargantuan consequences. Thankfully, Google has finally thought of a solution – a new solution, after its last solution of reading your texts out loud caused one too many uncomfortable car rides. Android Auto will now automatically summarise long messages or busy group chats so you can stay up-to-date on what everyone is talking about at all times.
Next comes an improvement to the suggested relevant replies. You might think Android Auto already does this – you’d be correct. Only now, those suggested replies are even more relevant and based on the contextual information of the messages.
A few examples were shown off and centred around navigation which makes sense while you’re in a car. The first involved the user sharing their estimated time of arrival (ETA) when asked when they would arrive. The second saw the user change their navigation destination at the last minute by tapping the prompt because their friends wanted to avoid the group outcast.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S24: Your smartphone just got way smarter
Lastly, Android Auto will soon mirror your Samsung Galaxy’s wallpaper and app icons because different icons can be confusing or jarring for some users, we guess.
It’s unclear if the new features will support messages from third-party apps like WhatsApp and when the Android Auto update will launch.
