Upcoming Features for Android Auto Revealed at Google I/O 2025
Recently, Apple unveiled their top of the line CarPlay Ultra, for a luxury car brand Aston Martin featuring some stunning visuals for car infotainment system and custom graphics for speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, and more. Google’s response to this is Gemini Live, new app categories, and videos for Android Auto, Android Automotive, and cars with Google built-in.
As Google introduces Gemini AI for cars, the driving experience is undergoing a significant transformation. In a surprising announcement made by the Android developer team revealed plans to integrate their powerful AI assistant and more apps including video available for both Android Auto and cars with Google built-in systems.
In this article, we will go through everything new coming to Android for cars based on Google’s announcements at I/O 2025; from Gemini AI integration to expanded app categories and enhanced developer tools.
The Current State of Android in Cars
Before diving into the new announcements, it’s worth noting the impressive adoption rates of Google’s automotive platforms. Android Auto is now supported in nearly all new vehicles sold globally, with approximately 250 million compatible cars already on the road. Meanwhile, Android Automotive OS with Google built-in continues its rapid expansion, now powering over 50 different car models, with more launching throughout 2025.
This growth is supported by a flourishing app ecosystem, with more than 300 applications currently available on the Play Store specifically optimized for in-car use. These apps span various categories designed for both driving and parked scenarios, creating a comprehensive experience for drivers and passengers alike.
Gemini AI Co-Pilot for Cars
The most anticipated announcement from Google I/O 2025 is the integration of Gemini, Google’s advanced AI system, into vehicles. This marks the beginning of a new era for in-car experiences, enabling natural voice conversations and seamless multitasking through intuitive voice commands.
We have detailed how Gemini works on Android Auto in this article. Also, download Android Auto update to get Gemini
Gemini for Cars will allow drivers to:
- Engage in natural conversations with their vehicles
- Find charging stations through conversational requests
- Navigate to locations mentioned in emails or other communications
- Perform multiple tasks simultaneously using only voice commands
Here’s a demo of how Gemini looks like on Android Auto:
For developers, Gemini opens up new possibilities through three core intent formats that allow navigation apps to:
- Start navigation to specific destinations
- Display relevant search results based on voice queries
- Execute custom actions, such as reporting traffic incidents with simple voice commands
This functionality is expected to roll out in the coming months, giving developers time to prepare their applications for this new AI-powered ecosystem.
Gemini Live: Conversations on the Go
The Gemini Live feature introduces a more conversational AI experience that’s perfectly suited for driving. By simply saying “Hey Google, let’s talk,” drivers can engage Gemini in brainstorming sessions or get assistance with important matters.
This functionality will be available on Android Auto-compatible vehicles in the coming months and will reach cars with Google built-in later this year, including models like the new Lincoln Nautilus, Renault R5, and Honda Passport.
Videos coming to Android Auto
As we mentioned in our previous report, Google is bringing feature like parked apps for Android Auto. This will enable new apps when the vehicle is in parking mode.
Google unveiled today that video apps will be supported on Android Auto, starting with phones running Android 16 on select compatible cars.
If your app is already adaptive, enabling your app experience while parked only requires minimal steps to distribute to cars.
This means, apps like YouTube, VLC, or any media player can be enabled to play videos when the car is parked. When drive mode is enabled, the videos will not be available.
Enhanced Developer Programs and Tools
Google has significantly expanded the resources available to developers creating in-car experiences. Last year’s introduction of car app quality tiers and Car Ready App has now evolved into a comprehensive framework that guides developers in creating optimized experiences:
- Car Ready tier: Enables developers to bring video, gaming, or browser applications to cars with Google built-in while parked, with minimal additional development effort.
- Car Optimized tier: Provides guidelines for creating experiences suitable for use while the vehicle is in motion.
- Car Differentiated tier: Helps developers create applications that can transition seamlessly between parked and driving modes while taking advantage of the various display screens in modern vehicles.
Google says, the Car App Library has received notable improvements as follows:
- The Weather app category has graduated from beta, allowing developers to publish weather applications to production tracks on both Android Auto and cars with Google built-in.
- A new Car App Templates Design Kit is now available on Figma, simplifying the design process for templated applications.
- Two new templates have been added in the Car App Library 1.8 alpha release: SectionedItemTemplate and MediaPlaybackTemplate, which are particularly useful for developing media applications with customizable layouts and browsing structures.
More apps, games, and videos for Android Auto
Several new app categories and capabilities are now in beta for Android Auto:
Media apps:
Developers can now build richer, more complete media applications using the Car App Library, allowing for experiences comparable to those on smartphones. During the beta phase, these apps can be published to internal testing and closed testing tracks, with an early access partner program available for production release.
Communications apps:
The communications category has entered beta with simplified integration through the CallsManager Jetpack API. This enables features like message history, upcoming meetings lists, rich in-call views, and more. As with media apps, developers can publish to testing tracks during beta, with an early access partner program available.
Games:
Android Auto now supports games while parked on phones running Android 15 and above. Popular titles like Angry Birds 2, Farm Heroes Saga, Candy Crush Soda Saga, and Beach Buggy Racing 2 are already available. The Games category is in beta, with publishing currently limited to testing tracks unless accepted into the early access partner program.
The Roadmap for Android Auto in 2025
Google has outlined several exciting developments coming later this year:
- Video apps support on Android Auto: Starting with phones running Android 16 on select compatible cars, enabling minimal steps for distributing parked experiences if your app is already adaptive.
- Expanded app compatibility: For Android Automotive OS cars running Android 14+ with Google built-in, thousands of adaptive mobile apps are expected to become compatible in the next phase of the Car Ready Mobile Apps Program.
- Updated design documentation: New visualizations of car app quality guidelines and integration paths will simplify the design process for automotive applications.
- Expanded Google Play Services: For cars with Google built-in, features like Passkeys, Credential Manager APIs, and Quick Share will enable more seamless cross-device experiences.
- Audio-only mode for video apps: For cars with Google built-in, an audio-only listening feature for video applications while driving is in development.
- Firebase Test Lab integration: Android Automotive OS devices are being added to the Firebase Test Lab device catalog, making it possible to test on real car hardware without needing to purchase or rent a vehicle.
- Pre-launch reports: Coming soon to the Play Console for Android Automotive OS, these reports will help developers ensure app quality before distribution to vehicles.
