I did see one Google integration in the car that lived securely outside the Automotive OS, in the kind of the Polestar 2s instrument cluster. This digital cluster, like those on most automobiles, runs on a separate OS required for instrumented readouts of things like the speedometer, power usage, and other car metrics that are reported live to the driver. It features an in-cluster variation of Google Maps, not unlike what you d get on a modern-day, high-end VW Group item like Audi. This Maps circumstances is not working on Automotive, and that to me is illustrative of the deeper partnership needed for Google to construct something like Automotive in cooperation with a carmaker. It also makes me deeply curious just what Automotive “v2.0” is going to look like. How far will car companies let Google gets its foot in the door? With Automotive as executed on the Polestar 2, the answer is already “quite far,” but this OS is still, in essence, a canvas. Assistant, apps like Google Maps, and the Play Store are what paint the real picture of Googles in-car aspirations, and I do not think theyve completed this picture just.
The Polestar 2 is a crucial cars and truck. While it is the first legitimate rival to Teslas hugely effective Model 3, its also the launching vehicle for Googles Android Automotive, an in-car infotainment operating system developed to manage everything from navigation and music to your air conditioning and traction control settings. Entrusting Google to build such a platform might sound a bit iffy if youre not familiar with the automobile area, however if you are, you understand car manufacturers have actually been using Android for many years, usually without Googles true blessing (and often ludicrously old versions of the platform). After a day with the Polestar 2 in the winding hills of Northern California, I can inform you with confidence that Googles cooperation has actually assisted Polestar build a smarter car.
Another function I discovered no apparent proof of in the Assistant experience for now is voice match, though its possible it was active and I simply missed it, or Google does not inform you about it in the setup circulation. Without voice match, in theory, a passenger in your automobile could possibly control your smart home gadgets, gain access to individual contextual details through the Assistant like family roles, home/work locations, or use tools like discover my phone (I did not test this, and do not know if it works). Ive asked Google and Polestar for details about this, and will upgrade this post if and when I get official word back.
The onboarding procedure for Android Automotive.
When you take delivery of a Polestar 2, one of the first things youll likely wish to do is link it to your Google account, just as you would a smart device (worth keeping in mind: this is 100% optional). Controlled by means of a big, center-mounted vertical touchscreen, the Polestar 2 has basically no buttons outside those youll find on the steering wheel– a distinctly Tesla callback, enabled by the huge array of controls which Polestar has delegated to Android Automotive
Googles cooperation has actually helped Polestar develop a smarter automobile.
YouTube Music on Android Automotive.
The Google Assistant is the real “killer app” for Android Automotive, though. Being baked into the automobile, it enables actually-decent voice control for lorry functions such as cabin temperature, music playback, navigation, and smart home devices like your garage door. The voice commands mostly work as you d expected if youve ever utilized a Google Home. Just state “OK/Hey Google,” and ask away. Ive got a brief little demo video of the Assistant you can take a look at listed below to get a sense of the experience.
While apps are a banner function, you most likely wont ever see Netflix or YouTube on Android Automotive.
Turning over Google to construct such a platform may sound a bit iffy if youre not familiar with the vehicle area, but if you are, you understand car manufacturers have actually been utilizing Android for years, usually without Googles true blessing (and often ludicrously old versions of the platform). After a day with the Polestar 2 in the winding hills of Northern California, I can inform you confidently that Googles cooperation has actually helped Polestar develop a smarter car.
The possibilities for the future here are nearly unlimited. And thats exciting to consider. Even in this first generation, Google and Polestar have actually accomplished what numerous in the vehicle market would have referred to as recklessness even a decade ago. A totally over-the-air upgradeable vehicle os with an app shop, and a native, cloud-connected voice assistant to control lorry functions? This was the vision Tesla had so early, and which has contributed in its success to date. Im not going to criteria in any detail against that experience, as Im simply not familiar enough with it. But I can tell you that the Polestar 2 does seem like the future in that way a Tesla does. It is a vehicle that legally can– and Im confident, will– get smarter in time. Such a claim can be made by a vanishingly list of cars and trucks on the roadway today. That makes the Polestar 2 worth noticing. It likewise bodes well for the future of automobiles at big, because while Automotive may be debuting on a $60,000 EV, we currently know its headed for more mainstream platforms. Based on my experience with it, that can only be a good idea.
The next thing youll naturally do is set up some apps. The Polestar 2, as you may have heard, has the Google Play Store– given, with probably not even a dozen suitable apps yet offered to download (current media standouts include Spotify, Pocket Casts, and YouTube Music). I utilized YouTube Music on my drive, and setup was simple, with the app just confirming which of my associated YouTube accounts I wished to use initially launch. 3rd party apps like Spotify and Pocket Casts, Im told, use a fairly comparable approach to the Google account treatment I described above. Now, the YouTube Music app in Automotive feels like a stretched out, vertical variation of the Android Auto experience, which is serviceable, if not anything unique. While apps are a banner feature, you probably will not ever see Netflix or YouTube on Android Automotive, though, and I question youll ever get anything as “fun” as the Tesla Arcade. Safety is something Polestar and its parent brand name Volvo take really seriously, and I believe Google has taken a similar cue with Android Automotive. Dont bet on binging Stranger Things in your Polestar while youre stuck in the interminable drive-thru line at In-N-Out.
This isnt Android Automotive in the Polestar 2s instrument cluster– but it does have Google Maps.
The Assistant generally feels responsive and fast in the Polestar 2, though the circumstance with the voice processing remains a bit fuzzy to me. Still, as long as youre connected to LTE (the Polestar 2 comes with 3 years of AT&T data), the commands are a breeze.
There are still many limitations to the Assistants capabilities in the cars and truck.
I believe this is the real beauty of Automotive: Google can finally bring the experience of utilizing a fully-featured mobile phone app into the vehicle, and that app can be updated and optimized to make that experience better over time (approved, Google has to in fact, you know, do this). I did observe one Google integration in the vehicle that lived securely outside the Automotive OS, in the form of the Polestar 2s instrument cluster. Assistant, apps like Google Maps, and the Play Store are what paint the genuine photo of Googles in-car goals, and I dont believe theyve finished this portrait simply.
The UI is distinctly Volvo, but when you open an app like maps, things feel extremely Android.
Assistant, apps like Google Maps, and the Play Store are what paint the genuine image of Googles in-car goals.
Ive asked Google and Polestar for a complete list of commands particular to the lorry itself, but do know that there are still many limitations to the Assistants capabilities in the cars and truck, which are both an outcome of the experience still being fairly new, in addition to the basic truth that the Assistant isnt allowed to touch certain things. For instance, while driving modes and settings for things like guiding weight and regenerative braking can be managed in the Automotive UI on the center stack screen, the Assistant is not enabled to change these things. This, I believe, is a little bit of long-standing carmaker “church and state” at play: no automobile OEM is going to feel comfortable letting a 3rd party problem commands that might change the real driving habits of a car, which is understandable. “OK Google, set cruise control to 70MPH” is, for that reason, most likely never ever going to remain in the cards for Automotive. Other less delicate settings like changing treble and bass, or essentially any secondary stereo function that isnt volume or next/previous track, just arent supported.
On the automobile, you go into the settings menu where accounts are added, and add a new Google account. It appears the Polestar 2 just allows one Google account to be associated with the car at a time, as I was needed to eliminate the press fleet demo account to set up my own (I can comprehend there may be personal privacy problems with numerous accounts, though). From there, you verify two codes showed on the phone and your car match, and are needed to enter your Google account password on the phone.
The interface for Android Automotive is a mix of Google and Polestar (Volvo), depending on just where you look. This software application does not feel like something Google developed up until you get to the actual Googly bits (Maps, Play Store, Assistant, YouTube Music, etc). Climate control, vehicle settings, the profile chooser, and the activity launcher are all very square, dark, and quickly parsed user interfaces you d anticipate of a modern-day luxury automobile– they look very Volvo-y. In these locations, Google is largely out of the way, aesthetically; its simply the framework that Polestar has actually built the interface upon, and bit more. But when youve got Google Maps open, it quite feels like youre working from a giant Android tablet, and its instantly familiar. I think this is the real appeal of Automotive: Google can lastly bring the experience of utilizing a fully-featured smartphone app into the cars and truck, and that app can be upgraded and optimized to make that experience much better with time (given, Google has to actually, you know, do this). Like those apps, the entire Automotive OS, and much of the lorrys own firmware, can be upgraded over the air, something Polestar indicates it plans to take severe advantage of.
It really much feels like youre working from a giant Android tablet when youve got Google Maps open.
