Google launches Android Auto API

Google has entered the world of in-car infotainment with the launch of its latest software named as Android Auto API. This app integrates various aspects of entertainment and information and transmits it on your car’s dashboard.

This is an encouraging step towards advancement of the in-car infotainment industry and will now allow developers to start developing and customising apps to suit the dashboard of a car. At present this API software from Google supports only two categories of android apps for the user. However, there are already several third party applications from various app manufacturers which work pretty well with the API.

Some of these third part apps include basic messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Kik, TextMe and textPlus. These third party messaging applications do not show the contents of the message on the dash board of the car, instead Google’s text-to-speech application reads the contents of the message aloud to the user. After listening to the message the user can then choose to reply to the message via voice and thus will not need to take his hands off the steering wheel at any moment.

The other category of apps that are supported by Android Auto API are audio apps. These audio apps will allow the user to search the net for audio tracks, browse and listen to them. The content that can be included in these apps are music, podcasts and various other channels and apps. Some of these audio apps are NPR, iHeartRadio, MLB.com, SoundCloud, Umano, Pandora, Joyride, PocketCasts, Spotify and a lot more.

Apart for messaging and listening to music the driver can also use the API to get directions and get location searches via voice.