COMMENT: After years of using Apple CarPlay, I boldly switched to Android Auto. However, I was hit with a plethora of potentially dangerous annoyances and bugs that I have never experienced before.
Admission time: I loved the idea of ditching the Apple walled-garden, including the Siri virtual assistant and Apple Maps as the default application in Apple CarPlay. After three-years using the iPhone, it was time to escape Apple’s persistent ecosystem of hardware, software, and services.
Instead, Android Auto (paired with my new Samsung) would offer me with the, supposedly, smarter Google Assistant and superior Google Maps as the default navigation app. So, I made the leap of faith.
I believed Android Auto would be more intuitive and safer while driving. But after six-months using it everyday, I was mostly wrong.
Small scale interface
One of the major differences with Apple CarPlay versus Android Auto is the scaling of the user interface. It can mean accidental touches because buttons are too small to then dive back menus and carefully select the right toggle, which is a critical distraction while driving. Large scaling is vital, especially in a smaller 7.0-inch infotainment unit that my vehicle has.
Android Auto’s user interface is significantly smaller than Apple CarPlay. It’s a night and day difference. Every text, button, icon, box, and keyboard is miniscule.
For example, the speed limit sign displayed in Google Maps and Waze in the bottom-right corner is so small in Android Auto that you’ll almost need to squint. By contrast, Apple CarPlay displays the sign much more prominently and is easy to glance at while driving.
Likewise, individual keys on the Google Keyboard are so tiny that I often mistype a navigation destination or album name – and I don’t even have fat fingers. It’s a common theme that I fiddle more in Android Auto. On the other hand, Apple’s keyboard implementation has much wider keys, larger font point size, contrasts better with a black background (instead of grey), and uses more of the screen real estate.
Granted, I am using a 7.0-inch touchscreen whereas most new vehicles today start from 8.0-inches – so Android Auto’s small scaling issue is drastically exacerbated in my case. But there’s no excuse.
Switching back to Apple CarPlay again, my infotainment display instantly feels much bigger, more liberating, and safer for use while driving. Google simply needs to overhaul Android Auto.
Google Assistant cutting
While Siri is still the inferior voice assistant in terms of smarts, Google Assistant in Android Auto habitually stops speaking mid-way through his/her response. It’s infuriating and a persistent problem that hasn’t been properly addressed for months.
Notably, when I ask for the navigation ETA, the Assistant responds with: “You should reach your destination by five o…” Then, nothing. It cuts out. Ditto other queries like the weather, reading out text messages, etcetera.
Nowadays, I give up and just look for the tiny ETA readout on the touchscreen. This can be dangerous, especially while driving which smartphone mirroring tech is intended to prevent in the first place.
Admittedly, one of the Android Auto 5.7 versions seems to have temporarily fixed it at the time. But this issue has come plaguing back in subsequent updates, including the latest 6.0 release.
However, something which has been fixed over time is the current location command in version 5.9. Previously, when I curiously asked where my location is while driving, Assistant would respond with an address of where I first connected the phone before driving (eg: home) – instead of accurately stating my current location on the road. Small improvements, but I’d like the Google Assistant to actually finish her sentence for once.
Audio playback niggles
Podcasts are a godsend while stuck in rush hour traffic. Like many listeners, I prefer playing in 1.5x speed or even 2x when I’ve got a backlog of shows to catch up on. Apple CarPlay provides a playback speed toggle in the audio app and can change via a Siri voice command. Sadly, Android Auto cannot.
Google’s user interface guidelines for audio apps doesn’t allow for an extra button to change playback speed, even in its own Google Podcasts or Youtube Music app. Frustratingly, the Assistant isn’t capable of changing it either.
The solution is opening the Podcasts application on the phone and toggling the desired playback speed before you start driving. This isn’t ideal when you forget to or the app somehow doesn’t remember the last set speed.
Sadly, there’s no way to switch it back to normal speed to, say, enjoy a particular podcast segment or show while driving; you can only rewind by asking the Assistant. This is a clear oversight by Google.
Other major issues
Take a look at the r/AndroidAuto subreddit, and you’ll find a litany of complaints of Google’s smartphone mirroring missing features, embarrassing bugs, and connection issues with select vehicle head units and smartphones.
Concerningly like many users, I’ve even experienced Waze freezing randomly. The voice navigation continued, so I followed it religiously until I realised it was taking me an entirely wrong direction! It not only wasted my precious fuel tank, but also caused unnecessary stress for me as the driver.
I found out that the culprit to Waze freezing could be turning on power saving mode, and many users have just resorted to Google Maps as the more reliable navigation option.
The major release of Android 11 late last year also caused major issues, breaking Google’s smartphone mirroring entirely. I find the Autoevolution site frequently reports Android Auto issues.
Like many netizens on Reddit, I share the overwhelming frustration with Android Auto – including the fact that Google collects more pervasive data about our driving habits than Apple – hence Porsche not including Android Auto at all and Toyota’s initial resistance – plus a laundry list of frivolous notifications prompting me to open up Android Auto on my phone.
Upsides of Google?
Android Auto is flawed – but there are some positive differences compared to Apple CarPlay from my six-month experience.
On my slightly older infotainment system, Apple CarPlay couldn’t recognise multi-touch gestures, whereas Android Auto can. This is handy for pinching out to see the navigation route. Of course, this is limited to my case as most in-car touchscreens nowadays have been updated to better support different input methods, screen sizes and ratios.
Also, like the mobile Android operating system, Android Auto sets the default navigation and audio app to the most recent one you’ve used. So, asking Google Assistant to input a destination or play a playlist, it simply hands over to Waze or Spotify respectively. No fuss.
Pictured: Android Auto (left), Apple CarPlay (right) in widescreen
I no longer need to end my voice command with “on Waze”, “on Google Maps” or “on Spotify” every time I speak to Siri on Apple CarPlay. Forgetting to say these will land you in Apple’s ecosystem of Apple Music and Apple Maps.
On a side note, this doesn’t inspire me with confidence in Android Automotive, Google’s built-in infotainment software that’s expanding on Volvo, Polestar, and Maserati models (numerous bugs have already been reported).
Overall, in my six-month experience, there are more negatives than positives. It’s a mess. Is Android Auto superior than Apple CarPlay? The answer, for now at least, is a resounding no. Frankly, I expected better.
Hey Google, Android Auto needs a dire overhaul.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The problems experienced are since Android Auto 5.6 (August 2020) and subsequent versions up to 6.0 (January 2021) with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, unless otherwise stated.
The Connected by Henry Man 