Android Builders Weblog: New in-car app experiences

Posted by Ben Sagmoe – Developer Relations Engineer

The in-car expertise continues to evolve quickly, and Google stays dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is doable. At Google I/O 2025, we’re excited to unveil the newest developments for drivers, automobile producers, and builders, furthering our aim of a protected, seamless, and useful related driving expertise.

In the present day’s automobile cabins are more and more digital, providing builders thrilling new alternatives with bigger shows and extra highly effective computing. Android Auto is now supported in practically all new automobiles bought, with nearly 250 million suitable automobiles on the street.

We’re additionally seeing vital progress in automobiles powered by Android Automotive OS with Google built-in. Over 50 fashions are presently out there, with extra launching this 12 months. This progress is fueled by a thriving app ecosystem, together with over 300 apps already out there on the Play Retailer. These embrace apps optimized for a protected and seamless expertise whereas driving in addition to leisure apps for when you’re parked and ready in your automobile—a lot of that are adaptive cellular apps which have been seamlessly dropped at automobiles by way of the Automotive Prepared Cellular Apps Program.

A vibrant developer group is important to delivering these revolutionary in-car experiences using the totally different screens inside the automobile cabin. This previous 12 months, we have centered on key areas to assist empower builders to construct extra differentiated experiences in automobiles throughout each platforms, as we embark on the Gemini period in automobiles!

Gemini for Automobiles

Thrilling information for in-car experiences: Gemini, Google’s superior AI, is coming to automobiles! This unlocks a brand new period of protected and useful interactions on the go.

Gemini allows pure voice conversations and seamless multitasking, empowering drivers to get extra finished just by talking naturally. Think about effortlessly discovering charging stations or navigating to a location pulled immediately from an electronic mail, all with simply your voice.

You may discover ways to leverage Gemini’s potential to create participating in-car experiences in your app.

Navigation apps can combine with Gemini utilizing three core intent codecs, permitting you to begin navigation, show related search outcomes, and execute customized actions, comparable to enabling customers to report incidents like site visitors congestion utilizing their voice.

Gemini for automobiles might be rolling out within the coming months. Get able to construct the subsequent technology of in-car AI experiences!

New developer packages and instruments

Final 12 months, we launched automobile app high quality tiers to encourage builders to create top quality in-car experiences. By creating your app in compliance with the Automotive prepared tier, you possibly can deliver video, gaming, or browser apps to run whereas parked in automobiles with Google built-in with nearly no further effort. Study extra about Automotive Prepared Cellular Apps.

Your app can additional shine in automobiles inside the Automotive optimized and Automotive differentiated tiers to unlock experiences whereas the automobile is in movement, and likewise when transitioning between parked and driving modes, whereas using the totally different screens inside the fashionable automobile cabin. Verify the automobile app high quality pointers for particulars.

To begin with, throughout each Android Auto and for automobiles with Google built-in, we have made some thrilling enhancements for Automotive App Library:

• The Climate app class has graduated from beta: any developer can now publish climate apps to manufacturing tracks on each Android Auto and automobiles with Google Constructed-in. Earlier than you publish your app, examine that it meets the high quality pointers for climate apps.
• Two new templates, the SectionedItemTemplate and MediaPlaybackTemplate, are actually out there within the Automotive App Library 1.8 alpha launch to be used on Android Auto. These templates are an amazing match for constructing templated media apps, permitting for elevated customization in structure and searching construction.

On Android Auto, many new app classes and capabilities are actually in beta:

• We’re including assist for Constructing media apps with the Automotive App Library, enabling media app builders to construct each richer and extra full experiences that customers are used to on their telephones. Throughout beta, builders can construct and publish media apps constructed utilizing the Automotive App Library to inner testing and closed testing tracks. You may as well specific curiosity in being an early entry accomplice to publish to manufacturing whereas the class is in beta. 
• The communications class is in beta. We have simplified calling integration for calling apps by using the CallsManager Jetpack API. Along with the templates supplied by the Automotive App Library, this allows communications apps to construct options like full message historical past, upcoming conferences listing, wealthy in-call views, and extra. Throughout beta, builders can construct and publish communications apps to inner testing and closed testing tracks. You may as well specific curiosity in being an early entry accomplice to publish to manufacturing whereas the class is in beta.
• Video games are actually supported in Android Auto, whereas parked, on telephones operating Android 15 and above. You may already discover some in style titles like Offended Birds 2, Farm Heroes Saga, Sweet Crush Soda Saga and Seaside Buggy Racing 2. The Video games class is in Beta and builders can publish video games to inner testing and closed testing tracks. You may as well specific curiosity in being an early entry accomplice to publish to manufacturing whereas the class is in beta.

Lastly, we’ve additional simplified constructing, testing and distribution expertise for builders constructing apps for Android Automotive OS automobiles with Google built-in:

• Distribution by way of Google Play is extra versatile than ever. It’s now doable for apps within the parked classes to distribute in the identical APK or App Bundle to automobiles with Google built-in as to telephones, together with by way of the cellular launch monitor. Study extra on find out how to Distribute to automobiles.
• Android Automotive OS on Pixel Pill is now typically out there, providing you with a bodily system possibility for testing Android Automotive OS apps with out shopping for or renting a automobile. Moreover, the latest system pictures embrace assist for appearing as an Android Auto receiver, that means you need to use the identical system to check each your app’s expertise on Android Auto and Android Automotive OS. Apply for entry to those pictures.

The street forward

You may stay up for extra updates later this 12 months, together with:

• Video apps might be supported on Android Auto, beginning with telephones operating Android 16 on choose suitable automobiles. In case your app is already adaptive, enabling your app expertise whereas parked solely requires minimal steps to distribute to automobiles.
• For Android Automotive OS automobiles operating Android 14+ with Google built-in, we’re working with automobile producers so as to add further app compatibility, to allow 1000’s of adaptive cellular apps within the subsequent section of the Automotive Prepared Cellular Apps Program.
• Up to date design documentation that visualizes automobile app high quality pointers and integration paths to simplify designing your app for automobiles.
• Google Play Companies for automobiles with Google built-in are increasing to deliver them on-par with cellular, together with:
a. Passkeys and Credential Supervisor APIs for a extra seamless consumer sign-in expertise.
b. Fast Share, which can allow simple cross-device sharing from telephone to automobile.
• Pre-launch reviews for Android Automotive OS are coming quickly to the Play Console, serving to you guarantee app high quality earlier than distributing your app to automobiles.

Be sure you preserve updated by way of goo.gle/cars-whats-new on these options and extra as we repeatedly put money into the way forward for Android within the automobile. Keep tuned for extra sources that will help you construct revolutionary and fascinating experiences for drivers and passengers.

Able to publish your automobile app? Verify our steering for distributing to automobiles.

Discover this announcement and all Google I/O 2025 updates on io.google beginning Could 22.