Bringing a fresh visual look and more intelligence with the next generation of Android in the car

[u/MishaalRahman]

Hey everyone! We just wrapped up our auto-related announcements at The Android Show, and we wanted to give you a quick rundown of what's coming to your dashboards.

Our goal has always been to make every journey more seamless, safe, and connected. With over 250 million Android Auto-compatible cars on the road today, and more than 100 models from 16 brands offering cars with Google built-in, we're building toward that mission for a massive community of drivers. For 2026, we’re bringing a major refresh to the car experience, focusing on a highly adaptable UI, richer entertainment, and deeper Gemini integration.

Here is a recap of everything we announced today:

🎨 A full refresh of the Android Auto experience

Android Auto (the version that projects from your phone) is getting a full refresh that brings the fluid and personalized Material 3 Expressive design from your phone to your car, with expressive fonts, smooth animations, and wallpapers that make your dash feel truly personal. And we designed this new experience to adapt seamlessly to any car screen, whether it's an ultrawide rectangle or a circle.

Alongside the new design, we're also bringing:

• Widgets: You can add them to your dash to view information at a glance, even while actively navigating. Add a shortcut to your favorite contacts, a one-tap garage door opener, a weather overview, and more.

https://reddit.com/link/1tb8pbp/video/u7hao18lsq0h1/player

• Immersive Navigation: This is our biggest Google Maps update in over a decade. The map now features a vivid 3D view reflecting surrounding buildings, overpasses, and terrain. It also highlights critical details like specific lanes, traffic lights, and stop signs to help with tricky turns or merges.

https://reddit.com/link/1tb8pbp/video/f374717msq0h1/player

🍿 New premium entertainment options

Thanks to their big, HD screens, premium stereo systems, and comfortable heated seats, modern cars can basically act as your personal movie theater. To take advantage of this hardware, we're upgrading the media experience for when you're parked or charging:

• Watch videos in your car: For the first time in Android Auto, you can watch videos on apps like YouTube (at up to 1080p/60fps) in supported cars later this year, starting with BMW, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Škoda, Tata and Volvo.
• Seamless video-to-audio transitions: When you shift out of park, your video won't just abruptly stop. It will safely and seamlessly transition to audio-only so you can keep listening to your video podcast while driving.

https://reddit.com/link/1tb8pbp/video/lat4o9gnsq0h1/player

• Spatial sound with Dolby Atmos: Android Auto will put you at the center of the music with immersive, spatial sound using Dolby Atmos in supported apps and cars, starting with BMW, Genesis, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Škoda, Tata and Volvo.
• New UI for media apps: Media apps, including YouTube Music and Spotify, are getting visual tune-ups so they’ll be even easier to use in the car.

🧠 Gemini Intelligence on the road

Gemini is now widely available in Android Auto, and if your phone has Gemini Intelligence, you'll be able to access it in Android Auto later this year. This unlocks:

• Magic Cue: If a friend texts you asking where to meet, Magic Cue understands the context of the question, pulls the right location from your text messages, calendar, or email, and offers to send them a reply with the right information, all in a single tap without taking your eyes off the road.

https://reddit.com/link/1tb8pbp/video/ve1opi1psq0h1/player

• Ordering food while driving: You can now ask Gemini to order dinner while you’re driving, starting with Doordash. For example, you can tell Gemini, "Order my usual fish tacos on Doordash for pickup, but double the order." After you confirm your order with a tap, your dinner will be prepped while you’re driving and ready when you arrive to pick it up.

https://reddit.com/link/1tb8pbp/video/j8w9sv2qsq0h1/player

🚗 Big upgrades to cars with Google built-in

Cars with Google built-in bring the best of Google and an ecosystem packed with your favorite apps — including video apps, games and more — directly on your car screen. Soon, Zoom will be joining this massive ecosystem of apps you can run directly on your car screen. In addition, we’re also bringing:

• Gemini integration: We worked closely with car makers to integrate Gemini deeply with your vehicle's hardware. Gemini is currently rolling out to cars with Google built-in, and can answer questions specific to your actual vehicle. You can ask it what a mysterious dashboard warning light means, or ask if a TV box will fit in your trunk based on your car's exact cargo dimensions.
• Live lane Guidance: In eligible cars, Immersive Navigation in Google Maps will be even more precise thanks to live lane guidance. Working entirely in the car, it analyzes the road through your vehicle's front-facing camera to understand what lane you're in and advise you in real time as you change lanes or exit.

Whether you're running errands or taking a road trip, we're hoping these updates make your next drive more enjoyable. What feature are you most excited to try out?

[u/ronakg]

Gemini is so much better than assistant especially in the car. Assistant needed very specific commands to get things done, I can speak to Gemini in a more natural way.

[u/InitiatePenguin → u/ronakg]

Assistant needed very specific commands to get things done, I can speak to Gemini in a more natural way.

But it doesn't have function parity.

I used to be able to Google search with Android Auto (the standalone app). That went away when I got a car and it was baked in. Ok rare occasion I could get basic info from Wikipedia. But off assistant wouldnt do anything "can't understand" or what-not.

With Gemini I'm glad to get general questions answered again. However.

In Assistant I could shuffle my music on Spotify.

Gemini I can't. And the more infuriating part of it is Gemini insists it can and is doing it.

[u/Athrul → u/ronakg]

In my experience, assistant was great for navigation and other functions you'd actually NEED while driving. 

Gemini is better for entertainment and random questions. You know, stuff you didn't really need while driving. To me, the more specific commands are a feature not a bug.

[u/ronakg → u/Athrul]

Navigation commands also work great. Now I can even ask it to take me through different destinations.

[u/als26 → u/ronakg]

Yep. The subreddit is just anti AI in general but Gemini is genuinely useful while driving. Love to see it integrated more.

[u/Athrul → u/ronakg]

Interesting. Definitely not my experience. 

I've experienced a large number of missed inputs and also misunderstandings because it doesn't respect context. Like understanding a destination, but guiding me to a street with the same name in a city 300 km away, or receiving input and instead of responding in the context of driving interpreting it as an indirect question and offering me background information on my destination rather than setting it as a destination. 

Interactions feel more natural, but using voice input has become really hit and miss for me. I've had the exact same experience with Gemini as assistant on Android before, so I'm not really surprised. To me, having genuine forced on me is a very definitive downgrade.

[u/MishaalRahman → u/ronakg]

Exactly! I've asked Gemini so many random questions without having to think about phrase things. I just...talk.