Currently, many vehicles already include an integrated on-board screen to manage many of the car's functions from it. A practical way to have control over many applications without ever having to divert your attention from what is most important: the steering wheel and the road. That is why it is not surprising that the almighty Google wanted to take advantage of this technological advance and create its own tool: Android Auto. Thanks to it, it is possible to manage apps like WhatsApp or Spotify in a simple and intuitive way. Something for which every day more drivers bet. Do you want to know in depth how it works? Well In this article we tell you everything you need to know about how to install Android Auto, and how you can get the most out of it.
In addition, we will also review one of the aspects that generates the most doubts among users: its minimum requirements. Does Android Auto work with any vehicle? Why can its installation sometimes be complicated? Let's see it.
What is Android Auto?
As we mentioned, Android Auto is nothing more than a typical operating system developed by the Google company itself. Today mobile phones have become computers in their own right, and people have become accustomed to their comforts and daily uses. Android Auto brings all this to the car, and it does so by betting on safety and practicality. To understand us easily, Android Auto is a way to link the phone to the car, and thus be able to access many of its possibilities (if not almost all) without having to focus attention on the device itself.
Of course, it also adds some other features that, for obvious reasons, are not available in the mobile phone, such as air conditioning control. The maps, for example, take on a special importance, reinventing, so to speak, the benefits of the GPS of a lifetime.
Requirements to install Android Auto
If something usually characterizes Google, and everything that the technological giant develops, it is its attempt to reach as many audiences as possible. Of course, Android Auto is not an exception, which does not mean that in order to install it it is necessary to pay attention to certain requirements. They are not difficult to comply with, as we mentioned, but you have to keep this in mind before installing Android Auto, so you don't get an unpleasant surprise later.
The first thing to have is a mobile with the Android 8.0 or higher operating system. In the same way, it is necessary to have an Internet connection. Keep in mind that Android Auto is a way to "pass" everything you have on your phone to the vehicle. In addition, of course, you must have the Android Auto application itself in the car to access it. For some devices running Android 11 or later, it is possible to make Android Auto work wirelessly, which is always more convenient.
And what about the vehicles themselves? Well, basically, these must be equally compatible to be able to install Android Auto. Not all of them are, but most of those that are on sale at the moment are. The best thing in these cases to consult first with the manufacturers so as not to have any doubts about it.
Why install Android Auto?
In fact, there are many reasons to install Android Auto in a vehicle. We have already commented that this allows you to transfer the possibilities that exist in the mobile to the car. Or what comes to be the same, make calls or receive them, as well as read the classic SMS messages at the moment they are received. WhatsApp, possibly the messaging application that most drivers and users in general use, is also compatible with Android Auto, and without having to lift a finger. That is, without taking your hands off the wheel. As? Well, by voice, through the Google Assistant. In fact, the latter is key to controlling many of the application's functions.
Something similar happens with music itself. At the moment many people use Spotify or Youtube to make use of their favorite songs, playlists and so on. Thanks to Android Auto, both tools can be managed without having to interact with the mobile phone. Which is not only safer, vital while driving, but more comfortable.
The importance of maps
Many of the possibilities of Android Auto that we have already announced will undoubtedly delight many drivers. They already do, in fact. But without a doubt, if there is something that is especially relevant in a car, it is the maps. In this sense, Android Auto allows the use of different navigation systems. Starting, of course, with Google Maps. The best thing in this sense is the possibility of use routes that are already in the phone's memory, simply by passing them to Android Auto.
But although Google Maps is the alternative that more people generally bet on, we must bear in mind that there are more, such as Waze. Which one is chosen will depend on the tastes and preferences of each driver.
How to make it start automatically
As much as Android Auto is a really intuitive application, there are always tricks to it that make its use gain many integers. For example, when it comes to making the app start automatically every time you get behind the wheel. This way you avoid having to do it manually. And believe us, in the long run it shows a lot and saves a lot of time.
To make Android Auto start automatically All you have to do is go to the application menu, access Settings and once there select Activate automatically. Of course, at that moment you can choose between two alternatives, which happen because the tool becomes operational by connecting directly to the car's bluetooth, or through it but once the vehicle has already started moving.
