Google's Android Auto Now Available In 18 More Countries
Google's in-car software, Android Auto, has been available in countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and the US since the app was released on March 19, 2015. Now, Google has made the app available in 18 more countries, including India and Russia, according to a report in The Verge.
Included in the list of additional countries where the app can be used are several Latin American countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela as well as the territory of Puerto Rico. This launch spreads Android Auto's coverage a bit more to South America. The complete list of new countries are: Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Google made the announcement through the company's official Twitter account last April 5, with a tweet that displayed all the flags of the 18 countries in emoji format.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
According to TechCrunch, this is the biggest international roll-out for Android Auto so far, bigger than its launch more than a year ago. Three of the new markets included – Brazil, India and Russia – are said to be the "fastest-growing auto markets" in the world, the report added.
This means that the app is now available in a total of 28 countries. According to CNET, not all car models available nowadays are equipped with Android Auto, but third-party systems are available to enable consumers to retrofit their vehicles with a dashboard that will work beautifully with Android Auto. Pioneer and Kenwood are just a few manufacturers who have such systems available.
The app basically allows the consumer to connect a smartphone to the car's infotainment system, making apps and music accessible via the car's dashboard. Receiving and making calls hands-free can be done via the car's audio system. The phone is connected via a USB cable and in order for it to work, must be running on at least Android 5.0 Lollipop.
