Google is rolling out a sweeping update to Android Auto and cars powered by its Google Built-in software. The suite of changes and new features includes an overhaul to Google Maps, the addition of in-dash video playback and a full visual refresh rolling out to compatible vehicles and devices throughout 2026.
As cars get smarter and in-car screens get weirder, the previewed changes should keep Google’s automotive ambitions competitive with Apple’s CarPlay.
Design that literally fits your car
Android Auto is getting a full visual refresh built on Google’s Material 3 Expressive design language, bringing new fonts, animations and wallpapers from the phone experience to the dashboard. The interface can now adapt to any screen shape, including the familiar portrait and landscape orientations, but also new ultrawide and nonrectangular displays. Google showcased just how nonstandard Android Auto can get, filling the circular OLED display of the latest generation Mini vehicles and the skewed hexagonal screen of BMW’s Neue Klasse EVs.
Android Auto is now able to squeeze and stretch into nontraditional screen shapes, including circles, parallelograms and everything between.
Also new are home screen widgets, letting drivers keep glanceable information — such as favorite contacts, garage door controls and weather info — surfaced alongside active navigation.
The biggest Maps update in a decade
The centerpiece of the update is Immersive Navigation, which Google describes as its biggest Maps update in over a decade. The feature brings a 3D map view with rendered buildings, overpasses and terrain, and highlights lane markings, traffic lights and stop signs to aid complex maneuvers. The new look, to my eye, is not dissimilar to what I’ve seen on Apple’s Maps and is a welcome aesthetic and functional upgrade.
Cars running native Google Built-in get even more new navigation capability not available in standard Android Auto. The biggest new feature is Live Lane Guidance, which uses the vehicle’s front-facing camera to determine the driver’s current lane position and provide real-time guidance through lane changes and exits.
HD Video comes to Android Auto
Android Auto is adding full HD video playback at 60 frames per second when the car is parked, launching later this year on vehicles from BMW, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo in the US. (Outside of the States, that list grows to include Mahindra, Renault, Skoda and Tata cars.) When your charge sesh is complete and the car shifts from park to drive, Android Auto will also be able to seamlessly transition content to audio-only in apps that support background audio, so you can keep listening to that video podcast you just started.
Android Auto now supports HD Video at 60 fps while parked. Shift into drive and the content automatically switches to background audio.
Dolby Atmos spatial audio is also coming to Android Auto in supported apps and vehicles, starting with BMW, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. After hours of listening to Dolby Atmos in cars, this might be the feature I’m most excited about. Media app interfaces, including YouTube Music and Spotify, are also receiving visual updates, breaking out of the standard and familiar Android Auto template we’ve seen since the software’s launch.
Meanwhile, cars with Google Built-in will receive the same video and audio improvements, along with support for meeting apps like Zoom.
Gemini hits the road
Gemini is now broadly available in Android Auto for general driving assistance, rolling out to drivers over the past year. Devices with Gemini Intelligence — Google’s context-aware AI tier — will gain additional capabilities later this year, including Magic Cue, which can surface relevant information from messages, email and your calendar to respond to incoming texts in a single tap. In the demo, Google shows a driver receiving a text message asking for their destination, which is then replied to with a single tap.
Google is also enabling in-car food ordering through DoorDash via voice command. I’m sure someone will find that useful.
On certain cars running Google Built-in software, Gemini will be able to answer knowledge-based questions about the vehicle and its capabilities.
In cars with Google Built-in, Gemini integrates directly with vehicle hardware, enabling queries specific to the car itself. For example, a driver could ask Gemini to identify a dashboard warning light or to estimate whether the bulky TV they’re buying will fit within their car’s specific cargo dimensions.
The announcement comes as part of this year’s Gemini-fueled Android Show: I/O Edition and hot on the heels of General Motors’ April announcement that it’s rolling Gemini functionality into its Google Built-in infotainment stack. For GM alone, you’re talking about roughly 4 million Cadillac, Chevrolet and Buick vehicles in the US that will benefit from today’s updates. Globally and across all supported vehicle brands, Google boasted that 250 million cars currently support Android Auto at last count, with more than 50 models running Google Built-in natively — most of which will be getting these upgrades over the coming months.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
