A Flexible Android Auto Redesign Built for Any Dashboard
Google used its I/O 2026 stage to preview what might be the most ambitious Android Auto redesign so far. The new interface adopts Material 3 Expressive design, letting fonts and wallpapers from your phone—such as a Galaxy device—carry over to the car’s infotainment screen. The layout becomes more flexible too, adapting to virtually any display size or shape. A floating app row now sits on the left or right edge, depending on the steering wheel position, keeping core controls within easier reach. Android Auto’s entire interface, including the app drawer, notifications, apps, and widgets, now layers on top of Google Maps, reinforcing navigation as the primary experience. Where supported by automakers, the refreshed UI can even surface AC controls. Together, these changes signal Google’s push toward a more immersive, personalized, and car-aware driving interface rather than a simple screen mirroring solution.
Android Auto Widgets Bring Phone-Like Customization to the Car
One of the most eye-catching additions in the Android Auto design update is full widget support. Instead of digging through menus, drivers will be able to pin key widgets from their phones onto the car’s screen for fast, glanceable information. Google showcased widgets such as Clock, Contacts, Google Home, Photos, and Weather, hinting at a broad ecosystem of bite-sized controls and status cards. Because all of this sits atop the Maps view, the system maintains navigation as the backdrop while layering contextual tools where they are needed most. If a phone supports Gemini Intelligence, related smart features will also appear in the car, potentially enabling more proactive suggestions and voice-driven tasks. The result is an in-car experience that behaves more like a tailored, dashboard-specific home screen than a static launcher, giving drivers and passengers the ability to shape the interface around their routines.
Music Apps on Android Auto Get a Visual and Functional Overhaul
Media and music apps on Android Auto are getting a major visual refresh designed to be both richer and safer to use on the move. Tabs, which previously lived on the side, now appear at the top of the display for more intuitive navigation. Google’s Car App Library gains new templates and components, allowing developers to add expanded headers, spotlight sections for featured playlists or shows, updated progress bars, and more varied grid layouts. There’s also a new adaptive mini player that keeps playback controls visible while users browse, reducing the need to jump back and forth between screens. Developers can incorporate chips, compact list items, and interactive headers to streamline browsing flows. Popular services including Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Gaana, TuneIn, and PocketFM are already working these designs into their Android Auto experiences, making music apps on Android Auto feel more polished and consistent across brands.
Video Playback, Dolby Atmos, and the Future of Car Apps
Beyond visuals, Google is expanding what Android Auto can actually do. Video playback is coming to the platform, allowing users to watch YouTube and other compatible streaming apps on the infotainment screen when the car is in parking mode. Videos can play in Full HD at up to 60fps where supported, and if you start driving mid-playback, the audio continues so you can still listen to shows or music videos. Support will roll out first to selected vehicles from brands such as BMW, Hyundai group marques, and several others, and requires devices running Android 17 or higher. Android Auto is also gaining Dolby Atmos support in compatible cars from automakers including BMW, Genesis, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Škoda, Tata, and Volvo, delivering more immersive audio. Meanwhile, new Car App Library templates will enable smoother transitions from simplified parked experiences to full apps, plus richer agentic and voice-based flows inside the car.