Revealed: Android 15 brings big upgrades to cars running Android Automotive

Although the majority of changes in every new Android release are targeted towards mobile devices, there are a lot of changes that aren’t intended for phones or tablets at all. After all, the Android operating system also supports watches, TVs, and cars. The special version of Android designed for cars, called Android Automotive OS (AAOS), follows a yearly release cycle just like Android for mobile devices. Although Google hasn’t made a formal announcement yet about Android Automotive 15, the latest version of AAOS based on Android 15, the company has shared detailed release notes that reveal what new features and changes the update brings. Here’s what they are.

Streaming to Bluetooth headsets

For starters, Android Automotive 15 finally lets you stream audio from the car to Bluetooth headsets. Google says you can now use wireless headphones as audio output devices by opening Audio Settings > Audio Output Device and then designating a pair of headphones as an output device. If you choose to do so, though, then you won’t be able to stream audio from your phone to your car over Bluetooth, as the operating system only supports one active media or audio stream over Bluetooth at a time, regardless of whether the car is acting as a source or as a sink.

You might think it’s odd that Android Automotive has only just added support for streaming audio to Bluetooth headphones, but Google actually had to rework Android’s Bluetooth stack quite a bit to make this possible. In previous releases, Android’s Bluetooth stack only allowed devices to act as either a source or as a sink, but they have to stick to one. Android now supports devices assuming both roles, though it doesn’t support devices actually doing both at the same time. Regardless, this new capability opens up the ability for passengers to privately listen to something while the driver is focused on the road. This could be useful for parents who want to occupy their kids with some entertainment.

An app dock and ambient view

The next big change in Android Automotive 15 for cars is the addition of a dock that lets users pin their favorite apps to the bottom so they can quickly launch them. I don’t have any screenshots of this dock since Google hasn’t shared emulator images for Android Automotive 15 yet, but I’m assuming you’ll be able to press and hold on apps in the app drawer to pin them to the dock.

Next, Google has added support for ambient view to Android Automotive 15, which the company says lets car makers create “differentiated experiences” when the head unit screens are turned on but aren’t in use. Ambient view in Android Automotive 15 might be similar to ambient mode in Google TV, which is basically a screensaver that shows the time and current weather conditions. Since car makers can customize it, it’s likely they’ll apply their own branding to the screensaver and show some additional information while the head unit is idle.

What else is coming to Android Automotive 15?

Moving on, Android Automotive 15 also allows hotspots to be maintained between driving sessions. Google calls this feature “Wi-Fi hotspot persistence,” and it’s controlled by a toggle somewhere in AAOS’s Settings app. This feature will be useful for anyone who frequently enables the hotspot provided by their car.

The last big change that I wanted to highlight is the improved radio support. Google says that Android Automotive 15 fully supports the HD and DAB radio standards so that car makers can integrate radio features.

There are other changes mentioned in the release notes for Android Automotive 15, but they’re mostly centered around core platform changes that only matter to AAOS platform developers. As I mentioned at the beginning, most changes in Android 15 are intended for mobile devices since they comprise the vast majority of Android’s install base. In addition, Google has to be more restrained while developing new features for Android Automotive due to the inherent safety concerns with making software that drivers interact with. Still, there’s a lot that Android Automotive users have to look forward to, not just in the Android 15 update but also in the number of car-ready apps available on the Google Play Store.