Google is saying goodbye Android Auto app, and hello Google Assistant driving mode

It’s official, Google has announced that it will discontinue the Android Auto (AA) phone app (the application that will change your homescreen layout to a more simplistic layout for easy access) in favour of Google Assistant driving mode on your Android phones. The features originally on the app will now be available on the Google Maps app and users can easily switch to the driving screen whenever they are about to drive.

It had not been an easy journey for Google when it comes to creating the new driving mode. Google made the blunder by discontinuing the AA app without notice as they made the driving mode a built-in feature for Android 10, much like Apple’s CarPlay which is a feature built into the iOS.

For those of you who don't understand how AA works, other than allowing your car to control phone functions on the infotainment display, AA will also change the phone screen layout to a more simplistic layout. This is what Google knows as the driving screen. Here's an example of how it looks like:

For Android 10 devices, the driving mode is triggered when the phone gets connected to the car’s in-built Android Auto connection system. Users do not need to specifically open the Android Auto app to change to driving mode.

So, when they discontinued the app, this left many Android users that do not own a car compatible with Android bereft of the ability to have Android Auto running off their phone screen.

While Google did have plans for a replacement for the Android Auto app at that time, the replacement was nowhere close to ready for launch. So instead, Google had to introduce a stop-gap measure known as the Android Auto for Phone Screens app. 

To be specific, Google’s latest announcement is that they are discontinuing the stop-gap measure Android Auto for Phone Screens app as the proper replacement for the old Android Auto app is finally ready to roll out. Two years later.

Google Assistant driving mode is accessible through Google Maps, so there is no need to install yet another app. According to Google’s instructions, users just need to start driving mode in the Google Maps app and they are good to go.

The new mode still comes with the same features such as App Launcher to quickly access apps like YouTube Music and Spotify, as well as the Assistant’s ability to read messages out loud and reply to messages while driving.

Users can change the settings of what driving mode can do via Settings > Navigation settings > Google Assistant settings.