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Android Auto may finally let users switch to a different dialer app (APK teardown)
- Google appears to be working on adding support for third-party dialer apps to Android Auto.
- We’ve spotted evidence of the upcoming external dialer support in the latest Android Auto release.
Android Auto currently supports Google’s Phone app for calls. It doesn’t give you access to third-party dialer apps, even if they’re set as the default phone app on your smartphone. As a result, there’s no way to use alternative apps like Truecaller, ACR Phone, or Drupe on your car’s screen. But that could change soon.
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An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Google has added new flags in the latest Android Auto release (version 13.0) that shed light on the upcoming third-party dialer app support. The flags not only mention support for external dialers but also reveal that Google will use an allowlist to enable external dialers in Android Auto. This means that only select dialer apps will be available through your car’s infotainment screen, and Google will require developers to adapt their apps to support Android Auto.
Google offers detailed guidelines to help developers optimize their apps for Android Auto with several app-building templates to make the interface simple to use while driving. The guidelines also mention a Calling apps category and list the relevant templates for such apps.
However, the category is not available to all developers with a note stating, “The Calling category for apps created with the Android for Cars App Library is currently open for Beta Partners only.” This further confirms that only a small fraction of the dialer apps available on the Play Store will make it to your car’s infotainment screen. But it’s a good move nonetheless, and we’re excited to see which apps make the cut.