TL;DR
- Google has documented what changes are coming to the next version of Android Automotive.
- Android Automotive 24Q4 will introduce features like concurrent multi-user support, a media design refresh, and more.
- It’s unclear when cars running this version of Android Automotive will actually appear, though.
Even though Android Automotive OS is designed for cars, it’s updated fairly frequently by Google. In fact, the company releases a new version of the operating system almost every quarter. The latest version based on Android 15 has just been released, and it includes a big improvement to multi-user support, a new way to trigger Bluetooth pairing, and some UI updates.
Concurrent Multi-User support in Android Automotive
The first major change is an early version of a feature called Concurrent Multi-User. Concurrent Multi-User is a mode that enables Android Automotive to support two fully independent users at the same time, each with their own dedicated UI experience. For example, a passenger in the back seat could launch their own activities and get full access to the UI on the display that’s in front of them.
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Concurrent Multi-User support in the latest version of Android Automotive seems like a logical extension of the multi-display support that Google introduced to the platform with last year’s Android 14 update. With Android Automotive able to work across multiple displays, Concurrent Multi-User support enables each display to essentially act as an independent instance of the OS.
For context, when Google first announced multi-display support in Android Automotive last year, it highlighted how the feature could be used to show the same video on the main infotainment screen as well as two backseat passenger displays. The company also teased how passengers would be able to help drivers with navigation from their backseat displays. These demos illustrate that backseat displays were initially intended to supplement the main infotainment system — a relationship that will change with the arrival Concurrent Multi-User.
However, Concurrent Multi-User isn’t enabled by default in the latest version of Android Automotive. Car makers have to explicitly flip a flag in the OS before owners can use it. This makes sense as it should only be enabled in cars with backseat displays. Car makers can optionally enable a passenger-only experience where there’s no driver equivalent, as well as an in-car experience where each passenger only has access to a guest profile. These two configurations make sense for autonomous taxis, though it seems they’re experimental at the moment.
Google has been working on this Concurrent Multi-User feature since last year’s Android 14 release, though back then the feature was marked as experimental and wasn’t allowed on production units. Given that Google says the latest version of Android Automotive only includes an “initial MVP [Minimum Viable Product]” of the feature, though, it’s clear that it still isn’t done yet, so I’m not sure if we’ll see any cars shipping with it in the near future.
Media design refresh
The new version of Android Automotive also brings a UI refresh to the Media app to “demonstrate Google’s best-in-class Media experience and design to OEMs.” Google says this refresh updates the UI of the app in both portrait and landscape orientations. Unfortunately, the company didn’t actually share any screenshots of the new Media app. The page documenting Android Automotive’s Media app still shows the current version of the app, so I’m not yet sure what the new version looks like.
What else is new
Google says that you can now trigger Bluetooth pairing by pressing and holding the vehicle’s push-to-talk (PTT) button. This will make it easier to pair Bluetooth devices, since you won’t have to sift through the Settings app anymore.
Next, Google says that cars with cellular or Wi-Fi locations will be able to use the geolocation time zone services provided by Google Play Services to update the time zone. This will be helpful in case you drive across time zones and your car’s clock doesn’t automatically update.
Lastly, Google says it has updated the text strings for driver assistance and ADAS-related settings in location privacy settings, and that it has updated microphone settings to be consistent with recent changes made to location and camera privacy settings.
You can find the full changelog for the latest version of Android Automotive, dubbed Android Automotive 24Q4, below:
Android Automotive 24Q4 release details
Car framework
- Memory usage profiling and reporting. Car Watchdog memory profiling, which monitors and records system-wide memory usage during system events.
- AAOS concurrent multi-user (CMU) support. Initial MVP for Concurrent Multi-User.
System UI and core apps
- Media design refresh. A UI refresh to demonstrate Google’s best-in-class Media experience and design to OEMs. This refresh affects landscape and portrait references for the Media app.
- Enable GMS Core Location Time Zone Detection (LTZP) in Automotive. Provide geolocation time zone detection to devices with cellular or Wi-Fi connections. To learn more, see Location time zone detection.
- Updates to the Location Privacy Settings UI. Updates driver assistance and ADAS-related text strings.
- AAOS Settings microphone privacy page update. Updated the microphone Settings to be consistent with changes made to Location and Camera Privacy Settings.
Connectivity
- Bluetooth. Users can now trigger Bluetooth pairing by touching and holding the vehicle’s push-to-talk (PTT) button.
If you’re curious about what new features Google introduced in the previous release of Android Automotive, we’ve also got an overview of what’s new in Android Automotive 15.
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