Android Auto cars, compatibility and design

Google Maps has been the unquestionable king of navigation for almost a decade, yet it's never had a central role in cars. Garmin, TomTom and others have occupied that co-pilot seat.

Android Auto is about to give Google smartphone users their first chance to unsuction those clumsy GPS units from the windshield and skip car maker's half-baked navigation upgrades.

Yes, in-dash Google Maps' estimated time of arrival is 2015, and it goes beyond navigation. Apps for making calls, playing music and sending messages are part of this digital journey.

All of the basics are here, and they're all conveniently out of reach. Android Auto gives you safe access to everything that's important on your phone and nothing more.

Here's what we found in our test drive of Android Auto that, while in an unfinished state next to Apple CarPlay, was already the better-looking experience of the two.

Which cars support Android Auto?

How does one get Google Maps in the car? Right now, the directions are a little unclear since the first cars supporting Android Auto out of the gate have yet to roll off the assembly line.

A total of 28 automakers have signed on the dotted line and splurged for rust-proofing in order to support Google's Oper Automotive Alliance.

Audi, General Motors, Honda and Hyundai are founding members of this group. Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Jeep, Volkswagen and Volvo joined the pack by the Google IO 2014 unveil.

Hyundai, which parked its brand new Sonata in the LA Auto Show lobby, told TechRadar it's eager to become "the first automaker that supports Android Auto."

Sure, the 2015 Hyundai Sonata is already roaming the streets, but buying one off the lot isn't going to get you Android Auto. The Korean automaker expects it in these vehicles at an unspecified date early next year, and existing 2015 Sonata owners will get it via an update then too.

Android Auto aftermarket solutions

Android Auto is a perk if you're already buying a car, but what if you're not in the market for new wheels or just started making monthly payments on a long-term lease?

That's where 11 electronic manufacturers come in with Android Auto aftermarket head units. Alpine, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer and JVC Kenwood plan to save the day on your dated ride.

Pioneer is already installing Apple CarPlay-compatible screens on older cars thanks to its NEX series of head units. Android Auto shouldn't be far behind.

Android Auto phone compatibility

Android Auto requires upgrading your smartphone to the Android 5.0 Lollipop. It's likely an easier process than upgrading to a new car, unless your carrier is being stubborn. Then it's way harder.

The patient wait for Android Lollipop gives you reason to check out Google's Nexus 6 phone, which comes with the Lollipop update and Android Auto compatibility out of the gate.

I also used the year-old Nexus 5 to run through the Android Auto demo, so I can confirm it works just as well on older Android 5.0 Lollipop hardware too.

Beyond that, all it takes is plugging a micro USB-to-USB cable into the phone and car's USB port. The car-stylized interface is projected onto the in-dash screen almost instantly.

What does Android Auto look like?

Android Auto has a slick and informative interface that's inspired by existing software like Google Now and Android Lollipop.

It has that same card-based menu that's part of Google's unified design language, and it's laid out on a home screen with all of the predictions you'd expect.

Without even having to think about it, Android Auto suggests directions on where you might want to go. This is based on recent searches or your daily routine.

The weather, missed call or text alerts and in-progress music also appear within this very glanceable menu - it looks a lot like the new Android Lollipop lockscreen with embedded notifications.

Flanking these notifications are the always-present text and icons for the time, your phone's battery life cellular signal strength and microphone for voice searches.

Apps, controls and Apple CarPlay comparison

Which Android Auto apps are ready?

We tested all of the official Android Auto apps provided by Google, and saw a number of other recognizable third-party programs by developers, all meant for the car.

Google Maps, Google Dialer for initiating calls and Google Music line the bottom dock of the nav system, while Google Hangouts is integrated behind the scenes to handle messaging.

The rightmost spot on the Android Auto dock is meant for third-party apps, including ones from manufacturers like Hyundai and its Blue Link Connected Car feature. Car makers still retain space within their own vehicles.

Google Maps

What if your GPS knew where you were going before you had a chance to painstakingly enter the zip code, city, street name, etc, with the utmost accuracy?

That's the not-too-unreasonable idea behind Google Maps within Android Auto. It often throws up the place you may be going next and gives you an ETA and better route options thanks to the latest traffic information.

Beyond this Google Now predictive home screen, clicking into the Google Maps app brings up a familiar navigation interface, complete with dragging and pinch-to-zoom touch controls.

Deeper menu options bring up lists for suggestions and categories, and exact locations can still be typed in or spoken with voice commands. Traffic can be unchecked, but it's on by default.

Everything else about Google Maps looks familiar, and that's heartening. It even matches Android 5.0 Lollipop with white arrows and distance cues against the newer green background.

What's really great is that exiting the Google Maps app mid-trip places a navigation card on the Android Auto home screen. You can keep tabs on the turn-by-turn alerts while sorting through other notifications.

Phone calls

Safely fielding calls makes Google Dialer an important app within Android Auto, second only to getting where you want to go via Google Maps.

Its menus include recent calls listed from your phone and the ability to touch "Dial a number" to reach someone outside of your frequent contacts.

The center-aligned contact list and dial pad is fairly large, which making dialing someone up a lot easier while on the road. Microphone-initiated call functionality keeps the process even safer.

In-progress calls are themed with end and mute buttons, and there's a hidden dialer pad for entering long extensions mid-call - just in case you have to "please listen carefully, as our menu has changed."

The phone app's "hamburger button" in the top left reveals more options for voice mail, speed dial and missing calls. Digging isn't always necessary. Status bar notifications allow you to see calls, texts and other alerts as they come in, and it's easy tap to listen to them and reply with your voice.

Messages

Hangouts doesn't get its own dedicated app on the system tray, but Android Auto does relay SMS texts and internet messages to the in-car dash.

All of a sudden, the temptation to look over at your smartphone is a distracted driving problem of the past. It's sitting silent and unlit when plugged into the Android Auto console.

You can have the message read aloud and respond by touching the microphone icon and beginning your answer with "Reply," followed by the rest of what you want to say.

Best of all, the more-agnostic Google enables this functionality for app sorts of messaging apps including WhatsApp, Kik, TextPlus, Text Me! and a bunch free messaging apps.

This alone won't reverse the distracted driving epidemic, but it's a whole lot better than having people take their eyes off the road for relatively unimportant reasons that can wait.

Music

Between listening to calls and texts read aloud, Android Auto pumps a number of music apps through your car speakers, fronted of course by Google Play Music.

Its music controls are fairly simple with straightforward buttons and accompanying album art in the background. Streaming songs will use your data plan like normal.

What I liked most was that Android Auto's audio player isn't limited to Google's flavor of a music app or even music in general.

Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, MLB and NPR are some of the music apps and non-music talk radio channels that you can tune into while cruising down the highway.

More apps to come

Expect more refined versions of Google's official apps as time goes on and new third-party developers to design their existing Android apps around the Android Auto design ethos.

The voice search, for example, answers questions using Google's knowledge graph and the in-car microphone, and it's always expanding its database full of facts.

"Who won the 2014 World Series of baseball?" I asked the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The car responded, "The San Francisco beats the Kansas City Royals four games to three," almost gloating about its home team.

How do you control Android Auto?

Stow that Android phone. Google's in-car operating system has three alternative methods to controlling your smartphone.

Voice commands

Google's voice commands are the easiest way to go about the menu system hands-free. Tap the microphone icon in the top right corner to make calls, get directions, reply to texts and listen to music. You can even Google knowledge graph questions.

Use physical buttons

The 2015 Hyundai Sonata that we tested included steering wheel controls for prompting the voice command functionality. That's a lot easier than reaching over for the microphone icon on the touchscreen. Other cars may have additional buttons.

Use the touchscreen display

Cycling through the Android Auto menu using the touchscreen is ideal for when the car isn't in motion. Yet it's simple enough to tap directly on what you want even when you're in a bind. This is a simplified version of your Android phone.

Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay both offer a similar experience, projecting a cleaner version of their smartphone operating systems onto a car's head unit.

The differences are subtle, but favorable to Android owners, as long as you own a phone that belongs to Google's popular platform.

Android Auto's home screen is a bit smarter with Google Now, an idea Apple hasn't been able to replicate just yet. CarPlay offers a basic app tile menu as its start screen.

The menu colors are animations are also a little brighter and bolder within Google's car ecosystem, mimicking Android 5.0 Lollipop. It's more refreshing than Apple's darker theme.

Then, of course, there's the fact that Android Auto includes the more desirable Google Maps navigation. While Apple is open to third-party apps, I doubt Google Maps is going to be one of them. It's stuck with Apple Maps instead.

Are we there yet?

Google Maps' official ten year anniversary is February 8, 2005. It quickly unseated MapQuest as everyone's favorite way to print out directions on the computer. Remember those days?

It continues to dominate today as an app, becoming the world's most popular phone app even though it no longer comes pre-installed with iOS 8 devices.

Android Auto represents the next ten years for Google Maps, with navigation where we need it most: preventing distracted drivers who pose a danger on the road.

Hands-free directions, calls, messaging and music controls are powered by Google Now and the flavor of Android Lollipop, and at least in Hyundai's case it won't cost extra beyond the normal price of the car's nav system.

It's a winning combination over using manufacturer's vanilla nav systems. Google just needs to convince all car makers to take over their coveted center console and quit stalling out.