With the Android Automotive infotainment operating system, Google is pursuing the goal of creating a uniform platform that is available in many vehicles and is intended to succeed in Android Auto. In the next few years, a topic will probably come up that Google has not yet officially commented on, but it is very important: How long will updates be available?
With Android Auto, Google has managed to conquer large shares of the infotainment market in a very short time and establish it in the age of smartphones. This was possible because the support of the manufacturers is minimal, the users only have to plug in their smartphones and the platform can be used immediately without any major problems. With Android Automotive, this becomes significantly more difficult: Because even if the platform is much more powerful, the entry hurdle is much higher.
For Android Automotive, manufacturers have to give up their own platforms and users have to set up at least before the first drive and cannot use an alternative interface. The big question affecting both users and partners will be how long Google can and wants to update the operating system. Three years of updates on the smartphone are desirable, but you should be more pessimistic about two years. With regard to the Polestar 2, this period has now passed.
Google started updating Android Automotive on the Polestar 2 a few days ago and is bringing some new features. However, there are only a handful of models on the market in which Android Automotive is available. Therefore, they still receive special treatment and special attention. But what if automotive arrives in the mass market and has to build on hundreds of configurations?
How long can Google deliver updates?
Will Google also end cars after three years? Can you increase it to five or can you get an even longer period? After all, a vehicle has a significantly longer planned service life than a smartphone and costs many times as much as a Smart TV. While you can simply replace the smartphone and with the Smart TV you are annoyed that the functions that are usually not very essential are no longer updated, this can become a problem with the car. Navigation and entertainment are integral parts that no one wants to be without.
What makes things even more difficult with Android Automotive is that many vehicle functions can be controlled via the operating system: air conditioning, window regulators, interior lighting, and potentially many other things that are not directly related to locomotion. It is unacceptable if one day this no longer works or becomes a problem due to a lack of updates. Because while you can replace practically all wearing parts on the vehicle, the workshops are tied when it comes to software if the supplier (Google) no longer delivers.
This will still be a very big issue because the residual value or resale value of the vehicle also depends heavily on these functions. Even if there are “very long” updates (ten years?), time will eventually run out and in the best-case scenario, the car will still be on the road. Maybe second or third hand. No matter. The situation is different if at some point you no longer deliver updates and the system remains bombproof and absolutely secure. This, in turn, can hardly be guaranteed for devices connected to the Internet…
Of course, this applies to all infotainment systems, but none is as developed, deeply integrated and closely linked to the cloud as Android Automotive.