in 2019, Android Auto bought a redesign that put a brand new coat of paint on outdated options, however didn’t actually add something new. Now, nearing two years from the discharge of that redesign, Google is giving Android Auto a robust new characteristic — customized Assistant shortcuts.
This characteristic doesn’t arrive as a shock, because it was first noticed earlier this year in teardowns of the Android Auto app. With Android Auto v6.1, which additionally brings support for wallpapers, this performance is lastly launched.
Customized Google Assistant shortcuts in Android Auto supply customers the power to shortly launch a set of instructions with a fast faucet as a substitute of utilizing simply their voice. The probabilities listed below are limitless, and that’s what makes this characteristic so helpful. You possibly can have a command that makes use of an Assistant routine — which simply returned to Android Auto — or only a normal fast assertion. For instance, you could possibly have a button that arms the safety system, locks the door, or adjusts the thermostat (assuming you’ve bought the {hardware} to again it up). Alternatively, you could possibly use a command to start out navigation to a particular location with out utilizing voice instructions.
Equally as helpful are the brand new contact shortcuts. You possibly can create a shortcut for the Android Auto homescreen that calls a contact of your alternative. That is helpful for 2 causes. For one, you may set the shortcut to make use of one particular quantity, useful when you’ve got two numbers saved for identical contact. Additionally, a shortcut like it is a entire lot simpler for some folks than making an attempt to get Google Assistant to know names which can be exhausting to pronounce.
Google Assistant shortcuts have the potential to make Android Auto a much more highly effective platform for lots of people, they usually on the very least make the homescreen itself far more helpful. As talked about, this characteristic is now rolled out to Android Auto customers by way of v6.1 of the app. Simply be sure to’ve up to date on the Play Store and it is best to be capable to use it. Notably, you may create and edit these shortcuts whilst you’re not actively in your automobile, too.
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