I tried Android Auto's new kids' games, and yes, they're a terrible idea

Just over a year ago, Google rolled out support for a handful of games on Android Auto. This lets bored drivers and passengers in parked cars enjoy a quick round of Angry Birds 2, Beach Buggy Racing, or Candy Crush Soda Saga on the car’s dashboard. With March’s Android feature drop, Google expanded the selection to include “teacher-approved” kids’ games for children ages 3-12. But since I don’t have kids, I tried some of the games myself.

I want to make my potential bias known right off the bat. As a driver who relies on Android Auto, I don’t see the need for support for kids’ games. I can give games for adults a pass — I’ve often had to wait hours in the past, and playing a mindless game is probably a great way to while away the time, but I’d be far more likely to just use my phone in this situation. Nevertheless, I wanted to give this feature a fair shot, so here we go.

Wouldn’t you believe it, a car screen completely sucks for gaming

Let’s start with Disney Coloring World. It’s a digital coloring book that works well enough on the car screen, but I imagine it would work the same on any other display. I can confirm that, yes, it works well on my Galaxy S24 FE.

I wouldn’t want my kid playing this unsupervised, though — the app immediately shoves a splash screen with a big subscribe button front and center. I nearly fell for this, and it was my fiancée who highlighted the small X button at the top of the screen.

After she saved me from paying ~$47/annum to unlock special coloring book leaves, I selected one of the few free images and started coloring. The controls are pretty obvious: select a color and a drawing implement, then swipe across the screen to color in the character or scene. Simple, right? There’s a welcome option to ensure all colors remain within the lines — I love a good built-in cheat — but I wouldn’t describe the game as satisfying or stimulating. Auto has horrible inherent lag, something that I’m sure would drive kids just as crazy as it did me, and this is even more apparent in a coloring book app.

Beyond the latency, I also struggled to return from the full-screen game to the Android Auto home screen. You’re supposed to swipe down from the top of the screen as instructed by the game, but no amount of this seemed to work for me. Perhaps it was user error, but I was stuck in Disney Coloring World with no way out. In desperation, I had to start my car and release the parking brake before an option to return to the main display finally appeared. I’m not going to mark the game down for this — again, this could be a quirk of my car or my gray matter.

However, I also have more practical concerns. While some vehicles have glass Android Auto displays, my car has a paper-like antiglare coating. It’s surprisingly soft, and the risk of an overzealous toddler (or me) causing damage to it terrifies me. Would I want my child pressing all the buttons and leaving their greasy prints all over the screen, too? Well, no.

And, dare I highlight the obvious problem? Unless you’re an old-school parent, kids almost always have a tablet or a smartphone within arm’s reach in 2026. If not, and they really want to play one of these games, surely handing the phone to them would be a better bet? Or, perhaps an actual book with juicy markers or crayons? I could continue skipping music tracks and viewing the map or weather ahead while my child completes their digital or analog masterpiece safely in their seat.

It’s also worth highlighting that the dashboard screen is designed for the front passengers, not the kids in the rear seat. To play these games, kids would have to shuffle forward to the passenger seat or lean forward from the rear seat. Even when parked, both actions seem pretty disruptive, far more so than simply handing the child a phone or tablet. And what if you have a large family? Will little Timmy let Emily share the screen, or will a large scuffle ensue?

All this leads me to ask: “Why?” For a company that’s so vehemently for safety in the car, why has Google added child games to the Android Auto interface?

Highlighting Android Auto as a source of leisure to young kids sets a dangerous precedent. While games can only be played when the car is parked — engine off and handbrake on — I wouldn’t want my child to associate a car’s control surfaces with games that are distracting and focus-consuming. Normalizing this within the car could negatively affect children when they eventually learn how to drive. These games seemingly target kids at easily impressionable ages, too.

Marvel HQ: Super Hero Fun is perhaps the only game aimed at older children. It includes various minigames within it, but the mechanics of many of these are better suited to a smaller handheld screen — you know, like a smartphone? I don’t see how flying a spacecraft through zones or playing a Subway Surfer-esque game on the dashboard is any more enjoyable than using a dedicated screen that’s grasped between one’s palms. And let me once again mention the incredibly frustrating lag.

We got kids’ games on Android Auto before a functional voice assistant

To be fair to the games, they’re all functional and work well within the limitations of Android Auto. I don’t have any gripes with them specifically, except the Disney title’s rather predatory splash screen. I do, however, wonder why this was such a priority for Google, given the countless other features it should’ve added to Android Auto first.

Auto is an essential car control instrument for many people. It’s not as important as the shifter or steering wheel, but it’s my entertainment, communication, and navigation system, and I can’t imagine driving comfortably without it. I’m still waiting for a host of features Google announced for it months ago, including Gemini support.

And, on that note, where is YouTube playback support? Why are voice navigation and controls still so unreliable? Why is there still so much friction in adjusting guidance audio volume? Where is the widget support that was teased months ago? Why are so many users still experiencing connectivity issues on modern devices? All these anticipated fixes and features improve the actual driving experience; games do not.

I don’t have children, so I’m far more biased towards my personal travel needs than other users with young families. However, if I were a parent, I certainly wouldn’t let my children use Android Auto for drawing stickmen, coloring, writing, or driving Spider-Man against oncoming traffic. Not every screen has to be a toy.