Software
Google's Assistant Driving Mode seems to be finally coming to Android.
The Google Assistant Driving mode that the company first revealed in 2019 has begun to appear on certain Android devices, XDA-Developers posted. The UI looks a bit different from what Google demonstrated at its I / O developers conference last year. XDA claims it's first discovered about two weeks ago that users started seeing a new navigation gui on Google Maps.
The Google Assistant Driving Mode announced at Google I/O 2019 seems to finally be rolling out https://t.co/s8Ip8VhAiT
— XDA (@xdadevelopers) October 16, 2020
It is not clear if the roll-out of this new mode is part of the pilot or if it will be open to all consumers. Mishaal Rahman told XDA that he saw a new driving mode on Google Pixel 4, Asus ZenFone 7 Pro, and LG Velvet, and that the new mode will replace the Android Auto app on smartphones. That seems to be consistent with what Google said to The Verge last year.
If the new mode will contain all the functionality mentioned by Google when the driving mode was first introduced is not clear yet. It was supposed to be available on every Android phone with Assistant, using the "Hey Google, let's drive" voice prompt that would offer a dashboard with driving-related events and other customized recommendations. And it will provide infotainment functions for drivers whose cars are not fitted with touchscreen screens.
The voice prompt doesn't seem to function on new mode activated smartphones yet, according to Android Police. To see if your device has Assistant Driving Mode, open Google Maps and the Navigation Settings menu, and select Google Assistant Settings. If this is not enabled, you will be taken to the main Assistant Settings section.
Google did not respond immediately to a request for more information on Sunday.
