At the Android Show: I/O Edition last week, Google promised 2026 would be a big year for Android Auto, with major updates planned for how the platform looks and works across all the cars and devices where it’s available. At I/O 2026, Engadget got a chance to see some of those upgrades running off both Android Auto on a phone and a Volvo EX60 with Google built-in.

Right off the top, most of the enhancements Google announced earlier this month will be available to people whether they access them directly through their car or via a phone. I did notice some visual differences between how those features are presented. With Android Auto, you get Google’s own Material 3 Expressive across the board; with Google built-in, it’s still Material 3 Expressive, but tweaked to accommodate the automaker’s own stylings and the car’s specific hardware.

The trade-off there is Google built-in offers Gemini integration that’s only possible when manufacturers directly include the assistant in their cars, allowing you to use your voice to tweak model-specific settings. In the case of the EX60, that meant the Google employee talking me through the demo was able to tell Gemini to “darken” the car’s sun roof, and it went from transparent to opaque. The employee was also able to ask Gemini to describe footage from one of the car’s front-facing cameras. When the assistant saw the Transamerica Pyramid in the distance, it told us it was once the tallest building in San Francisco for 48 years running. It diplomatically did not mention that title was taken by the grotesque Salesforce Tower.

Everything else Google previously announced will be available to users of both Android Auto and Google built-in as the upgrades roll out. For instance, with Immersive Navigation, the overhaul of driving directions Google first announced in March, you can expect a similar experience no matter how you access the feature. In the demos I saw, neither car was moving, but as they drove along a virtual route, Google Maps rendered buildings in 3D to create a better sense of scale and depth. Important road elements like stop signs, traffic lights and crosswalks were prominently displayed to make them hard to miss. Gemini also produced more intuitive voice directions, saying things like “take a left at the next intersection.” It’s a slick interface that I think most Android Auto users will like a lot once they’ve had some time to acclimate.

Google was also keen to show me how the Android Auto team worked with third-party developers and other teams inside of Google to make their apps look and feel more like the experiences they offer on mobile devices. I saw this in action with Spotify, which in its latest version for Android Auto definitely looks more like it does on Android and iOS. Whether this is a welcome tweak will depend on how you feel about using a touchscreen in car, though the Google employee taking me through the demo did note the Android Auto team has guidelines around touchscreen usage designed to reduce distractions.

I also saw the Android-like widgets Google is bringing to Android Auto. They’re a small addition but there’s utility in having specific information or features just a tap or swipe away. In the demo I saw, a Google employee had one widget set up to check the weather for future bike rides. Again, it’s a small addition, but one that left me thinking why Google hadn’t added user-customizable widgets to Android Auto earlier.