Android Auto Rolls out to 19 New Countries
Google's in-car operating system, Android Auto, has recently become available to more than a dozen new countries, 19 countries to be exact. The latest roll out nearly tripled the number of countries with access to the smart car interface.
Google announced the 18 new countries to have the Android Auto functionality in a tweet which featured little emoji flags. The new countries are Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
TechCrunch notes this is Android Autos biggest international roll out so far. The total number of countries which can take advantage of Android Auto has increased from about 10 countries to 29, including three countries with the fastest growing auto markets in the world: Brazil, India, and Russia. Though not all cars will be compatible with Google's in-car OS, these three countries represent potentially huge markets for it.
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In addition, the latest Android Auto roll out extends the smart car interface's reach to South America. Android Auto is also available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The rollout is part of a new Android Auto version, v1.6. The major update addresses a couple of major issues that were lacking when the in-car OS initially released. Android Auto v1.6 comes with improved phone-car connection reliability and the ability to browse music collections without lockouts while the car is stopped.
Android Auto allows users to use their apps in the car. Launched in 2014, it requires an Android phone running 5.0 Lollipop or higher and a compatible vehicle or radio. Android Auto competes with Apple CarPlay and is available in a number of car brands and models including Honda, Volkswagen, and Mitsubishi, among others.
