Android Auto feature to summarize texts while you're driving is rolling out now

Taking your eyes off of the road while you’re driving, like when you text someone, can be dangerous. But Android Auto is now getting a feature that could help solve the texting while driving problem.

First announced alongside the launch of the Galaxy S24 series, Google is finally pushing out the new texting feature designed for Android Auto. It uses AI to summarize the text messages and group chats you receive while driving. Any messages that are shorter than 40 words will simply be read without summarization.

In the GIF below, you can see an example of how this feature will work. When you get a text, Android Auto will bring up a notification that will let you play the message aloud. It will also suggest relevant responses you can reply back with.

In addition to summarizing texts, the feature will provide a few actions you can take. This includes sharing your estimated time of arrival (ETA), sharing your location, or starting a call. And if you don’t want to be bothered, there’s an option to silence your notifications.

Google points out on its help center page that Assistant doesn’t log any messages or summaries, and interactions aren’t used to train its large language model (LLM).

To opt-in and start using AI message summaries, you just have to say “yes” to give Assistant permission. A prompt asking for permission will appear the first time you get a message that meets message summary requirements.