Bring your app to vehicles running either Android Auto or Android Automotive OS.
Use one app architecture that works for both cases so every user can enjoy your
app.
Android Auto
Android Auto provides a driver-optimized app experience for users who have an
Android phone with the Android Auto app and a compatible
car or aftermarket
stereo system
. They
can use your app directly on their car's display by connecting their phone. You
enable Android Auto to connect with your phone app by creating services that
Android Auto uses to display a driver-optimized interface to the driver.
Figure 1.
Android Auto?powered by a
phone and running on a car.
Android Automotive OS
Android Automotive OS is an Android-based infotainment system that is built into
vehicles. The car's system is a standalone Android-powered device that is
optimized for driving. With Android Automotive OS, users install your app
directly onto the car instead of their phones.
Figure 2.
Android Automotive OS running
on an emulator.
Supported app categories
Due to considerations unique to cars, Android Auto and Android Automotive OS
only support certain types of apps as described in the following table:
Category
|
Description
|
Platforms
|
Usage
|
Publishing
|
Media - audio
|
Media apps let users browse and play music, radio, audiobooks, and other
audio content in the car. See
Build media
apps for cars
for more information.
Important:
the Media category does not include video
content - see the separate
Video category
for
details on apps that play videos.
Built using:
MediaBrowserService
and
MediaSession
. On Android Automotive OS, you can also
build sign-in and settings screens (for use while parked) using Views or
Compose.
|
Android Auto and Android Automotive OS
|
While driving or parked
|
All track types
|
Messaging
|
Messaging apps let users receive incoming notifications, read messages
aloud using text-to-speech, and send replies using voice input in the
car. See
Build messaging apps for
Android Auto
for more information.
Built using
:
MessagingStyle
notifications, a
Service
for handling reply and mark-as-read actions.
|
Android Auto
|
While driving or parked
|
All track types
|
Navigation
|
Navigation apps, including providers of driver and delivery services,
help users get where they want to go by providing turn-by-turn
directions.
Built using
: The
Android for Cars
App Library
. See
Build a
navigation app
for additional information specific to navigation
apps.
|
Android Auto and Android Automotive OS
|
While driving or parked
|
All track types
|
Point of Interest (POI)
|
POI apps let the user discover and navigate to points of interest and
take relevant actions, such as parking, charging, and fuel apps.
Built using:
The
Android for Cars
App Library
. See
Build a point of
interest app
for additional information specific to POI apps.
|
Android Auto and Android Automotive OS
|
While driving or parked
|
All track types
|
Internet of Things (IOT)
|
IOT apps let users take relevant actions on connected devices from
within the car. Examples include controlling the state of certain
devices, such as opening a garage door, flipping home light switches, or
enabling home security.
Built using:
The
Android for Cars
App Library
. See
Build an internet
of things app
for additional information specific to IOT apps.
|
Android Auto and Android Automotive OS
|
While driving or parked
|
All track types
|
Video
|
Video apps let users view streaming videos while the car is parked. The
core purpose of these apps is to display streaming videos.
Built using:
Views and/or Compose. See
Build video apps for Android
Automotive OS
for more information.
|
Android Automotive OS
|
Only while parked
|
All track types
|
Games
|
Game apps let users play games while the car is parked. The core purpose
of these apps is to play games.
Built using:
Views and/or Compose. See
Build games for Android Automotive
OS
for more information.
|
Android Automotive OS
|
Only while parked
|
Internal Testing tracks
|
Browsers
|
Browser apps let users access web pages while the car is parked.
Built using:
Views and/or Compose. See
Build browsers for Android
Automotive OS
for more information.
|
Android Automotive OS
|
Only while parked
|
Internal Testing tracks
|
Additional resources
To learn more about Android for Cars, see the following additional resources.
Design
Samples
Codelabs
Blogs
Videos