How Android Automotive has changed - the latest news

With the release of Android Automotive 15, Google introduced some significant new features to its car operating system

By: Pietro Paolucci

Dec 31, 2024 at 5:19am ET

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Since Google launched it on the market, almost eight years ago in March 2017, Android Automotive has changed a lot, has been enriched with new features and options and has ended up on board more and more cars, of which it constitutes the software backbone.

Android Automotive 15 represents its latest iteration, an update released by Google from mid-September followed by the new quarterly release in December. These versions introduce various new features, some of them quite significant. Here is an overview of them.

A foreword

Before talking about the latest Android Automotive news, it should be kept in mind that, being a variant of Android, it is a true operating system that is largely customisable by the companies that use it for their cars, both in terms of functions and aesthetics and user interface.

This means that each car manufacturer, of which there are now many that use it, not only chooses which functions and options to implement, but also how to do so. This is why some new features of Android Automotive 15 may be visible and usable with certain vehicles but not with others.

What's new in Android Automotive 15 24Q3

The first version (24Q3) of Android Automotive 15, as anticipated, was released in mid-September, at which time Google announced a number of new features for its automotive operating system. Prominent among these is a feature that allows audio (any audio content) to be transmitted to wireless headphones connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth.

There is also a new bottom bar (dock) in which to place your most frequently used apps, so that you have the ones you use most frequently at your fingertips. Also new is the Ambient view, a mode that allows car manufacturers to create specific and exclusive displays to be shown when the screens are not active, such as screensavers with customised logos or images.

Android Automotive 15 also improves support for HD and DAB radio standards, and the management of vehicle hotspot activation. Here are more details on the new features introduced by version 24Q3 in question.

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What's new in December's 24Q4 version

Shortly before the end of 2024, Google also released version 24Q4 of Android Automotive 15, an operating system that receives other important new innovations. First and foremost, multi-screen support, i.e. the possibility of having a system that can be used by several independent users at the same time, each with their own interface and their own activities in progress. This is useful, for example, to use several screens independently between those sitting in the front and those in the rear.

This feature, which is still in development and not yet activated, was announced alongside other minor innovations such as an aesthetic update to the Media Content app interface, a shortcut to initiate Bluetooth pairing with an external device by touching and holding the car's push-to-talk (PTT) button, or even automatic time zone updates for cars with access to geolocation, Wi-Fi or cellular networks.

The full changelog containing the other new features of the December 2024 release of Android Automotive 15 can be found in the post on the Android website, which will be implemented by the various manufacturers on their vehicles as they go along.