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Disclaimer: I work for Google, not on AA, all opinions exclusively my own, etc. Yes, you are. I had nothing more advanced than Bluetooth, drove a rental car w

Disclaimer: I work for Google, not on AA, all opinions exclusively my own, etc. Yes, you are. I had nothing more advanced than Bluetooth, drove a rental car with Android Auto support for a week, and immediately went out and replaced the head unit in both of my vehicles with one that supported AA and Carplay. The most obvious benefit is navigation. You get the full power of Google/Apple maps in real time, and you never have to pay your car OEM for updates. Navigation is also integrated with everything else. It knows that I have an appointment on my calendar in half an hour and suggests that as a destination without me having to retype it. It knows that in the mornings my most likely destination is "work" and my most likely evening destination is "home". It knows what brewery I like to go to on Saturday afternoons and suggests that too. Voice control is another huge one. I don't have as much experience with Carplay, but with AA I can use Google Assistant for nearly everything and keep my eyes on the road. It makes the connections trivial. Most modern systems should support wireless Android Auto - when I get in the car it connects over WiFi automatically without me doing anything. Even on older vehicles I plug in one USB cable and am good to go. Compare this to my bag of hardware I bring on trips where I'll have a rental car - you need to find a mount that works (sometimes a.dashboard suction cup, sometimes a vent clip), get the phone in a good angle where you can see it and it can get a good GPS signal, go into the car and pair it to Bluetooth, attach the charging cable and make sure it's not getting caught on anything, and so on. For calls and texts, it just works. I've fought with Ford Sync and other proprietary systems just trying to get it to recognize names. The stock unit in my Subaru was so bad that it couldn't keep "Firstname Last name" and "Othername Last name" as two separate identities because they sounded alike, so I had to map half my family to Harry Potter characters. With Google/Apple, no such problem - just say "Call Firstname Last name" and it works every time. The system integrates with whatever background noise you want - music, podcasts, and so on. It makes everything automatic and painless. Android Auto gave new life to my old cars

markdog12 6y ago
I just got a vehicle that supports it, but when my Pixel 3 tries to connect, the AA UI shows briefly for a second, then fails, every time. Any tips? I've tried over USB and wireless, same result.
- jagger27 6y ago
  Might have to go to a dealer to get a firmware upgrade.
- leesalminen 6y ago
  Not the parent but in my ‘18 Audi I think I called the dealer and they did some kind of software update which resolved the issue.
- maccard 6y ago
  Mines wired only but my issue seemed to be cable related. I bought an anker powerline II usb c to a cable based on reddits recommendation and haven't had any issues since!
- Arainach 6y ago
  I've certainly seen issues with cables before (even ones that seem to half work), as mentioned in another reply. My first step in debugging would be to unpair the devices (on both sides) and try to set them up again to see if that helps.
dTal 6y ago
>It knows that I have an appointment on my calendar in half an hour and suggests that as a destination without me having to retype it. It knows that in the mornings my most likely destination is "work" and my most likely evening destination is "home". It knows what brewery I like to go to on Saturday afternoons and suggests that too. I know it makes me terribly old-fashioned, but god that's horrifying.
- Jtsummers 6y ago
  I'm not sure why it's horrifying. Assuming the data is on your device and that's what it's learning from, at least with respect to appointments, this was also an objective of every PDA and productivity software ever made. To help you plan your day without having to sit down and plan your day. Throw in data, it tells you what you need to know and when. Regarding suggesting destinations based on habits it's only (potentially) horrifying if this means the data is going to some Google/Apple/Other server and projections coming from it.
  - anotherman554 6y ago
    I would be surprised if Google's technology works without it being stored on Google's server.
  - dTal 6y ago
    >it's only (potentially) horrifying if this means the data is going to some Google/Apple/Other server and projections coming from it. Yes, well that's exactly what it's doing. A local-only solution would of course be a different story. But even if such a thing existed, with suitably ironclad security for such incredibly sensitive data, the mere creation of that data is a liability that many might opt out of if they had the choice - like taking nude pictures, or logging your location at all times.
    - Arainach 6y ago
      You absolutely have that choice. I have Location History turned off in my Google Account and this feature still works. It might work better if I let it use history, not sure - but it absolutely works without it. I do have Search History turned on, so I could hypothesize that it's able to use things I've searched for in the past at certain times, but it's not using my location.
battles 6y ago
You can’t get to work or your favorite bar without a computer navigating you?
- Arainach 6y ago
  I know 5 or 6 given paths. Which one is fastest depends on all sorts of things. Is there traffic? Has an accident on the highway brought things to a standstill? Is going North around the lake slow enough that the toll lanes are worth it? Even when I know where I'm going, it's very useful to have an accurate ETA. If I get a call, I can tell someone quite precisely when I expect to arrive.
- Jtsummers 6y ago
  Traffic reports. Saved me hours a month (usually 1-2 hours each time) when I got rerouted around a bad accident on my primary route home at my previous job. It was the main highway connecting the area near my office to the town I actually lived in. When there was an accident, it was 30-90 minutes of being stuck without moving, depending on if there were serious injuries/fatalities (versus a fender bender). With a notification before I left the office [0] I could choose the longer but not backed up route. [0] I usually left halfway through rush hour, most accidents seemed to occur just before I left but I never crunched the numbers so just an observation.
caymanjim 6y ago
If you like that stuff, go nuts, but I don't see much benefit to any of it. I rarely drive anywhere that I don't already know how to get to. I certainly don't need a navigation system to get to work, home, my favorite bar, the homes of friends or family, the local supermarket or other stores I frequent, etc. I only need navigation a handful of times a year, and even then, I usually wish I'd reviewed and memorized the directions ahead of time rather than relied on blindly following step-by-step directions. I don't need or want voice control of the basic car systems. Give me traditional knobs and sliders. The tactile feedback is better and less distracting than any visual feedback. Voice commands have gotten pretty good, but I still find I have to repeat myself often enough to be frustrated. And why should I have to turn the radio down in order to adjust the air conditioning? Touchscreen displays in cars are unnecessary and distracting. You should never be looking at one. You shouldn't need a mount for your phone because you shouldn't be looking at your phone. You shouldn't need a touchscreen because you should be using knobs and sliders and other controls that are easy to find without looking and provide tactile feedback. There's no need to view, listen to, or reply to messages while you're driving. It's dangerous, even hands-free. You shouldn't even be having voice conversations while driving. Sure, we all do it from time to time, but it should be rare and under exceptional circumstances. It's dangerous and unnecessary. Pay attention to the damn road.
- ntsplnkv2 6y ago
  Maps on AC is a game changer for me. Anytime I've never been to a place I use it, and I sometimes use it for other things like if I'm in an unfamiliar place and want to stop for food or find a store. Simple voice command. New route, done. Also the real time traffic updates is huge - so many times now I check just in case there is an accident that will cause a huge delay. I do agree that for car functions I like physical knobs, but for infotainment? being able to say "hey siri play X" is awesome. > There's no need to view, listen to, or reply to messages while you're driving. It's dangerous, even hands-free. You shouldn't even be having voice conversations while driving. Sure, we all do it from time to time, but it should be rare and under exceptional circumstances. It's dangerous and unnecessary. Pay attention to the damn road. You know people are going to do it, so it should be made less dangerous, no?
- 6y ago
noelrock 6y ago
Just to +1 this - a major reason we picked the car we picked last year was because it had AA. Now, you can upgrade most any system to it, but given we were buying a new vehicle anyway? It's just.... superior to any in-car system, and I'm not even an Android user !
sriku 6y ago
Reminded me of this "ad" for google that google never made - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ysH2Glw5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ysH2Glw5w (folks from India might appreciate more, but it is in English so should be accessible)
prower 6y ago
First of all, thanks for the detailed reply. Appreciated! Unfortunately I'm clearly missing something, because it looks like a lot (and I mean a lot) of effort is going in these entertainment systems just to have a map (which you probably already have on your phone), a touch screen (which you should NOT use while driving) and to read/reply to texts (which you should NOT be reading/replying while driving). Just to be clear, the most usual use-case is maps and music. So, we could say a smartphone paired with the radio via bluetooth solves 90% of the problems with maybe 5% of the effort and technology required. But I guess nowadays Bluetooth is just too uncool to justify 30k for a car. EDIT: More than anything, from the answers in this discussion I see people have kind of a feticism to over-optimize every part of their lifes. I undertand it in a work enviroment, but to get groceries? That's how you end up playing Cyberpunk in your car. And that's not a good thing.
- Arainach 6y ago
  Car units are integrated with your car's controls. I almost never need to use the touchscreen because of my in-steering-wheel controls. A smartphone with Bluetooth only covers the basic scenarios where you know where you're going before you leave - and that only if you spend far MORE effort hooking up a charger, a mount, launching the app you need, and you never need to switch apps (such as between maps and music) during your drive. A good mapping solution enables all sorts of things: * Seeing alternative routes you don't know about or expect along with their anticipated time difference * Easily adding stops on the way (gas stations, restaraunts, you name it) * Letting you know what you need to do soon (such as seeing a pattern of four lanes on the freeway and learning that you need to be in the second from the right) * Giving you a solid idea of when you have to be watching for your next turn and when you can simply focus on the road without reading street signs. "Next turn in 3 miles" means look at the road, "next turn in 0.2 miles" means you need to start looking at street signs * Automatic rerouting. If you DO miss a turn or get stuck behind traffic from an accident, you don't need to immediately start thinking about how best to get back on course. You can focus on the driving instead. In the music scenario, it gives both voice controls that let you focus on the road ("Play Modest Mouse in Spotify" rather than having to dig through albums or radio stations), integration with your car's controls (next track involves lifting my thumb rather than reaching for a knob in the middle of the car or my phone). Saying "no one should ever hear a text message while driving" is just abstinence-only education at this point, and the message works about as well as it does for sexual education. That ship has sailed and it's simply not a valid line of argument. "No one should reach for a touch screen" isn't any better - it's not a good model, but it's the reality in a huge percentage of vehicles sold today. This isn't over-optimization - it's simply a quality of life increase. Most people don't want to have to micromanage every detail of their trips - they want to get from point A to point B safely, reliably, and rapidly. Good car systems make that simple. If you want to sit your Rand McNally atlas next to your manual transmission and your 8-track, that's your right, but other people want to focus on the parts that they HAVE to be involved with, not the parts technology can help with.

markdog12 6y ago

I just got a vehicle that supports it, but when my Pixel 3 tries to connect, the AA UI shows briefly for a second, then fails, every time. Any tips? I've tried over USB and wireless, same result.

jagger27 6y ago
Might have to go to a dealer to get a firmware upgrade.
leesalminen 6y ago
Not the parent but in my ‘18 Audi I think I called the dealer and they did some kind of software update which resolved the issue.
maccard 6y ago
Mines wired only but my issue seemed to be cable related. I bought an anker powerline II usb c to a cable based on reddits recommendation and haven't had any issues since!
Arainach 6y ago
I've certainly seen issues with cables before (even ones that seem to half work), as mentioned in another reply. My first step in debugging would be to unpair the devices (on both sides) and try to set them up again to see if that helps.

dTal 6y ago

>It knows that I have an appointment on my calendar in half an hour and suggests that as a destination without me having to retype it. It knows that in the mornings my most likely destination is "work" and my most likely evening destination is "home". It knows what brewery I like to go to on Saturday afternoons and suggests that too. I know it makes me terribly old-fashioned, but god that's horrifying.

Jtsummers 6y ago
I'm not sure why it's horrifying. Assuming the data is on your device and that's what it's learning from, at least with respect to appointments, this was also an objective of every PDA and productivity software ever made. To help you plan your day without having to sit down and plan your day. Throw in data, it tells you what you need to know and when. Regarding suggesting destinations based on habits it's only (potentially) horrifying if this means the data is going to some Google/Apple/Other server and projections coming from it.
- anotherman554 6y ago
  I would be surprised if Google's technology works without it being stored on Google's server.
- dTal 6y ago
  >it's only (potentially) horrifying if this means the data is going to some Google/Apple/Other server and projections coming from it. Yes, well that's exactly what it's doing. A local-only solution would of course be a different story. But even if such a thing existed, with suitably ironclad security for such incredibly sensitive data, the mere creation of that data is a liability that many might opt out of if they had the choice - like taking nude pictures, or logging your location at all times.
  - Arainach 6y ago
    You absolutely have that choice. I have Location History turned off in my Google Account and this feature still works. It might work better if I let it use history, not sure - but it absolutely works without it. I do have Search History turned on, so I could hypothesize that it's able to use things I've searched for in the past at certain times, but it's not using my location.

battles 6y ago

You can’t get to work or your favorite bar without a computer navigating you?

Arainach 6y ago
I know 5 or 6 given paths. Which one is fastest depends on all sorts of things. Is there traffic? Has an accident on the highway brought things to a standstill? Is going North around the lake slow enough that the toll lanes are worth it? Even when I know where I'm going, it's very useful to have an accurate ETA. If I get a call, I can tell someone quite precisely when I expect to arrive.
Jtsummers 6y ago
Traffic reports. Saved me hours a month (usually 1-2 hours each time) when I got rerouted around a bad accident on my primary route home at my previous job. It was the main highway connecting the area near my office to the town I actually lived in. When there was an accident, it was 30-90 minutes of being stuck without moving, depending on if there were serious injuries/fatalities (versus a fender bender). With a notification before I left the office [0] I could choose the longer but not backed up route. [0] I usually left halfway through rush hour, most accidents seemed to occur just before I left but I never crunched the numbers so just an observation.

caymanjim 6y ago

If you like that stuff, go nuts, but I don't see much benefit to any of it. I rarely drive anywhere that I don't already know how to get to. I certainly don't need a navigation system to get to work, home, my favorite bar, the homes of friends or family, the local supermarket or other stores I frequent, etc. I only need navigation a handful of times a year, and even then, I usually wish I'd reviewed and memorized the directions ahead of time rather than relied on blindly following step-by-step directions. I don't need or want voice control of the basic car systems. Give me traditional knobs and sliders. The tactile feedback is better and less distracting than any visual feedback. Voice commands have gotten pretty good, but I still find I have to repeat myself often enough to be frustrated. And why should I have to turn the radio down in order to adjust the air conditioning? Touchscreen displays in cars are unnecessary and distracting. You should never be looking at one. You shouldn't need a mount for your phone because you shouldn't be looking at your phone. You shouldn't need a touchscreen because you should be using knobs and sliders and other controls that are easy to find without looking and provide tactile feedback. There's no need to view, listen to, or reply to messages while you're driving. It's dangerous, even hands-free. You shouldn't even be having voice conversations while driving. Sure, we all do it from time to time, but it should be rare and under exceptional circumstances. It's dangerous and unnecessary. Pay attention to the damn road.

ntsplnkv2 6y ago
Maps on AC is a game changer for me. Anytime I've never been to a place I use it, and I sometimes use it for other things like if I'm in an unfamiliar place and want to stop for food or find a store. Simple voice command. New route, done. Also the real time traffic updates is huge - so many times now I check just in case there is an accident that will cause a huge delay. I do agree that for car functions I like physical knobs, but for infotainment? being able to say "hey siri play X" is awesome. > There's no need to view, listen to, or reply to messages while you're driving. It's dangerous, even hands-free. You shouldn't even be having voice conversations while driving. Sure, we all do it from time to time, but it should be rare and under exceptional circumstances. It's dangerous and unnecessary. Pay attention to the damn road. You know people are going to do it, so it should be made less dangerous, no?
6y ago

noelrock 6y ago

Just to +1 this - a major reason we picked the car we picked last year was because it had AA. Now, you can upgrade most any system to it, but given we were buying a new vehicle anyway? It's just.... superior to any in-car system, and I'm not even an Android user !

sriku 6y ago

Reminded me of this "ad" for google that google never made - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ysH2Glw5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ysH2Glw5w (folks from India might appreciate more, but it is in English so should be accessible)

prower 6y ago

First of all, thanks for the detailed reply. Appreciated! Unfortunately I'm clearly missing something, because it looks like a lot (and I mean a lot) of effort is going in these entertainment systems just to have a map (which you probably already have on your phone), a touch screen (which you should NOT use while driving) and to read/reply to texts (which you should NOT be reading/replying while driving). Just to be clear, the most usual use-case is maps and music. So, we could say a smartphone paired with the radio via bluetooth solves 90% of the problems with maybe 5% of the effort and technology required. But I guess nowadays Bluetooth is just too uncool to justify 30k for a car. EDIT: More than anything, from the answers in this discussion I see people have kind of a feticism to over-optimize every part of their lifes. I undertand it in a work enviroment, but to get groceries? That's how you end up playing Cyberpunk in your car. And that's not a good thing.

Arainach 6y ago
Car units are integrated with your car's controls. I almost never need to use the touchscreen because of my in-steering-wheel controls. A smartphone with Bluetooth only covers the basic scenarios where you know where you're going before you leave - and that only if you spend far MORE effort hooking up a charger, a mount, launching the app you need, and you never need to switch apps (such as between maps and music) during your drive. A good mapping solution enables all sorts of things: * Seeing alternative routes you don't know about or expect along with their anticipated time difference * Easily adding stops on the way (gas stations, restaraunts, you name it) * Letting you know what you need to do soon (such as seeing a pattern of four lanes on the freeway and learning that you need to be in the second from the right) * Giving you a solid idea of when you have to be watching for your next turn and when you can simply focus on the road without reading street signs. "Next turn in 3 miles" means look at the road, "next turn in 0.2 miles" means you need to start looking at street signs * Automatic rerouting. If you DO miss a turn or get stuck behind traffic from an accident, you don't need to immediately start thinking about how best to get back on course. You can focus on the driving instead. In the music scenario, it gives both voice controls that let you focus on the road ("Play Modest Mouse in Spotify" rather than having to dig through albums or radio stations), integration with your car's controls (next track involves lifting my thumb rather than reaching for a knob in the middle of the car or my phone). Saying "no one should ever hear a text message while driving" is just abstinence-only education at this point, and the message works about as well as it does for sexual education. That ship has sailed and it's simply not a valid line of argument. "No one should reach for a touch screen" isn't any better - it's not a good model, but it's the reality in a huge percentage of vehicles sold today. This isn't over-optimization - it's simply a quality of life increase. Most people don't want to have to micromanage every detail of their trips - they want to get from point A to point B safely, reliably, and rapidly. Good car systems make that simple. If you want to sit your Rand McNally atlas next to your manual transmission and your 8-track, that's your right, but other people want to focus on the parts that they HAVE to be involved with, not the parts technology can help with.