Google has confirmed its shutting down the standalone “Android Auto for phone screens” app with Android 12.
Google says anyone who wants a driving-friendly interface for their Android phone should use the Google Assistant driving mood which is available within Google Maps, or the native Android Auto Interface available in select cars.
Google said in a statement, “For those who use the on phone experience (Android Auto mobile app) they will be transitioned to Google Assistant driving mood.” Starting with Android 12, Google Assistant driving mood will be the built-in mobile driving experience. We have no further details to share at this time.
Google also said that the experience isn’t changing for anyone using Android Auto in compatible cars.
Google’s confirmation came after XDA Developers reported that some users were seeing a message in Android Auto for phone screens app that said service is “now only available for car screens” and pointed phone users towards Google Assistant driving mood as a replacement.
Meanwhile, 9to5Google reported that the Android Auto for phone screens app now says it’s incompatible with Pixel devices running Android 12.
However, Android Auto’s app history is a little bit messy, but it is a move that has been a long time coming. The saga started in 2019 when Google decided to build most of Android Auto’s features into Android 10 as a system-level feature, and discontinue the previously downloadable app. That’s fine for anyone with an Android Auto-compatible car, but anyone with an older vehicle would have lost access to the driving-friendly interface available directly on their phone.
The aptly named “Android Auto for Phone Screens” was launched in 2019 as Google was forced to delay Google Assistant Driving Mode. That feature, which finally started rolling out in 2020, continued earlier this year and has expanded since was supposed to replace the experience on phone screens. At the time, Google called this app a “stopgap” for users who needed an in-car experience but lacked a vehicle compatible with Android Auto.
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