Android Auto appears very regularly in new app versions. These show some planned innovations in advance. In the past few weeks and months, many innovations related to Android Auto have appeared.
But two points are particularly interesting because they change the essence of Android Auto a lot and in new directions. It has been known for months that a surface called Coolwalk is on its way. There are already screenshots of it.
The focus of this innovation is a conversion to offer an extended view for all users or cars. So even smaller displays enable the screen to provide a split view. You can see the current map material on one side and current notifications and the active media player on the other.
This interface is optional. There should be a new button in the lower toolbar for this, which opens or closes the split-screen at any time.
The cast reflects screen content from the smartphone
Cast has also appeared for the first time in recent weeks. This should make it possible for us to see the screen content of the connected smartphone on the display in the car. Today you can already use this function with Chromecast devices to mirror the smartphone to a large screen like the TV.
Cast allows you to see and use basically any other smartphone app on the car’s screen. But we don’t know whether you can also use the car’s touchscreen for this.
With both innovations, it is still unclear weeks or even months later when they should be rolled out for users. Only Cast recently added “Beta” to its name, but that doesn’t allow any conclusions either.