Google is updating Android Auto to fit all screen sizes!

[g00fy]

Google Updates Android Auto To Fit All The Touchscreens - Jalopnik

Google is redesigning Android Auto’s interface to fit all sorts of touchscreens, regardless of their size and shape. Google says the redesign will come in an update this summer, and will increase Android Auto’s compatibility with different screen layouts by defaulting to a split-screen mode that...

jalopnik.com

So full screen Android Auto is on the horizon.

Now it's a question of how long Uconnect will take to update the UC5 to take advantage of this.

 

[g00fy]

Apparently the "coolwalk" update for Android auto hit pubic beta on the 9th.

The beta program is apparently full, but you can still get the beta APK here:

Android Auto 8.5.1245 beta APK Download by Google LLC - APKMirror

Android Auto 8.5.1245 beta APK Download by Google LLC - APKMirror Free and safe Android APK downloads

www.apkmirror.com

However, the UI change still requires a server side switch to be flipped before it will actually show the new UI. Google is supposed to flip that switch today, but I have yet to see a change when I downloaded and tried that latest beta APK.

I'll post pictures when it finally goes live and works.

 

[jsalbre]

I'd be shocked if they ever updated it for that. The 12" UC4 still can't do full screen CarPlay and that came out in 2019.

 

[g00fy]

I'd be shocked if they ever updated it for that. The 12" UC4 still can't do full screen CarPlay and that came out in 2019.

The UC4 will never be able to from what I understand, the hardware lacks the necessary processing power.

This is just for UC5 owners.

 

[jsalbre]

The UC4 will never be able to from what I understand, the hardware lacks the necessary processing power.

This is just for UC5 owners.

I was just using that as an example of them not going back and adding features after the fact. Anything is possible though.

 

[g00fy]

So I got the new UI running, Google opened the beta program back up on the play store if anyone else wants to get it. Unfortunately, unless I'm missing a setting somewhere, Uconnect, as I suspected, is behind the curve with their software and does not yet seem to support full screen Android auto...

 

[irish_assassin29]

So I got the new UI running, Google opened the beta program back up on the play store if anyone else wants to get it. Unfortunately, unless I'm missing a setting somewhere, Uconnect, as I suspected, is behind the curve with their software and does not yet seem to support full screen Android auto...

i have it too... still disappointed that it's not full screen.. my wife has an iPhone and CarPlay displays full screen...

 

[freebird_78]

So I got the new UI running, Google opened the beta program back up on the play store if anyone else wants to get it. Unfortunately, unless I'm missing a setting somewhere, Uconnect, as I suspected, is behind the curve with their software and does not yet seem to support full screen Android auto...

In a way, it's a bit of a step backwards. Now the actual nav portion is even smaller, and the music portion is redundant. Now, if they made it full screen, with the stuff that coolwalk puts on the side, on the bottom instead, it'd be great.

 

[UglyViking]

I wish FCA would allow you to make the AA screen "full sized". You still get the upper and lower bars from FCA on the screen, and it just feels unnecessary. AA has a way to "leave" AA, and considering anyone that has interacted with a smart phone in the past decade is familiar with the idea of a full screen app. There is no data on the screen that isn't included in AA that I need while it's running, and if I want to adjust settings or use something else I can easily back out.

This is as simple as a single toggle option in settings from FCA, alas I'll never have it.

 

[dshuk]

I have a 2021 ram 2500 with uconnect 4. Got the android auto update yesterday and it's really frustrating that AA doesn't show full screen on my 12" screen. Come on @RamCares. It's time to prioritize this.

 

[UglyViking]

I have a 2021 ram 2500 with uconnect 4. Got the android auto update yesterday and it's really frustrating that AA doesn't show full screen on my 12" screen. Come on @RamCares. It's time to prioritize this.

I wouldn't hold your breath. It's highly unlikely that an automobile manufacturer will add features to an older unit when they can add them to a new unit to sell you that.

Extremely frustrating, but that's the world.

 

[g00fy]

I have a 2021 ram 2500 with uconnect 4. Got the android auto update yesterday and it's really frustrating that AA doesn't show full screen on my 12" screen. Come on @RamCares. It's time to prioritize this.

Pretty sure that's never happening, the Uconnect 4 hardware supposedly doesn't have the horsepower to support any full screen mirroring apps.

 

[g00fy]

In a way, it's a bit of a step backwards. Now the actual nav portion is even smaller, and the music portion is redundant. Now, if they made it full screen, with the stuff that coolwalk puts on the side, on the bottom instead, it'd be great.

You can still select Maps and get just full screen maps. What they're showing in that picture is kind of like the homepage that tries to cram everything you might want to see on the screen at once.

 

[g00fy]

So it's been almost a year since AA gained support for all screen sizes, and Uconnect is still dragging their feet enabling it on their end on the 12" UC5. So I've resorted to hassling them on "X" (Formerly twitter). Please feel free to join in: https://twitter.com/UconnectCares I doubt it'll make a difference but it makes me feel good knowing I'm at least annoying someone at Uconnect.

 

[Skuppy069]

So it's been almost a year since AA gained support for all screen sizes, and Uconnect is still dragging their feet enabling it on their end on the 12" UC5. So I've resorted to hassling them on "X" (Formerly twitter). Please feel free to join in: https://twitter.com/UconnectCares I doubt it'll make a difference but it makes me feel good knowing I'm at least annoying someone at Uconnect.

Yep i just tweeted them as well !

 

[CFE]

I got tired of waiting and ordered one of those streaming boxes, mainly for full screen Waze capability.

 

[daemonic3]

I'm 99% certain I'll be ordering a Ram soon, so I test drove one last weekend. I wanted to test the HK 17-speaker system so I connected my phone using Android Auto as I always do in my F150. I thought it was "cute" and funny that it started out in 8" mode, just like my kids' cars on their basic 8" screens (I'm used to my 12" full screen landscape mode in my F150 and my wife's full 17" portrait mode screen in her Mach E).

My smile started becoming frustration as I couldn't find the maximize button for full screen. There was nothing, no option. I said "this can't be, I just can't find it" and kept looking. Salesman thought for sure it was full screen too and couldn't figure it out. Anyway, I go and complain to my friend that runs the sales and he says yeah of course it goes full screen, he uses carplay full screen every day in his Limited with the 12" Uconnect5. I said the hell you do! There is no setting! So we went out to HIS Ram and he showed me - FULL SCREEN carplay. Now I was SEETHING. I connected my android auto and sure enough, the little baby 8" half screen view, with an "add widget" on the bottom half that has nothing to do with android auto. To make matters worse? We always (for fun) argue about iphone vs android and he has never had a clear case for victory, until NOW. And it isn't even android's fault it is the Ram Uconnect nerfing android auto software!

First thing I did when I got home was check forums and sure enough, you guys have been complaining ever since early 2022 in multiple threads. Basically ever since coolwalk came out. My F150 did an OTA update around that time that gave me full screen with a simple software update only a few months after coolwalk. My understanding is Uconnect does similar OTA updates. Why would @RamCares just let the competition walk all over them in this regard? Do they not realize how entrenched the android ecosystem is across the country?

If I end up ordering my truck, there better be an update during the 6 months waiting for it to be delivered or I'm going to be constantly missing my "sexier" F150 ex girlfriend every time I look at that puny nerfed screen and wonder why we ever broke up.

 

[UglyViking]

It is pretty shocking that truck sales are so highly combative and Ram is just letting this easy update linger. It makes me wonder if there is some issue with how they have integrated android auto that would take too long to build out full screen mode. This is the single thing that has prevented me from buying a 12" UC5 for my truck, not that Ram cares about that, but it is disappointing as a owner of 2 Cummins trucks.

That said, it's kind of a weird threat to say that if your new truck doesn't get a software update you'll just wish you bought a Ford, haha.

 

[jebruns]

Could be not enough Ram owners care about it being full screen to make them feel like they have to do something immediately. I could not care less about it personally. And if they do an update, I hope we keep the option to have it half screened. That works well for me.

 

[UglyViking]

Could be not enough Ram owners care about it being full screen to make them feel like they have to do something immediately. I could not care less about it personally. And if they do an update, I hope we keep the option to have it half screened. That works well for me.

It would seem odd that it's more of a need for Apple users than Android? I work in tech and I'll tell you, any time a Product Manager can get a cheap easy win over the competition, or check a box, and every time marketing can get a shiny new picture to use, it's done so long as it's "cheap". The fact this still isn't done leads me to believe that they have made some decision in how they integrated android auto along the way that has removed this capability and will require a non-trivial amount of work to get it updated.

Let's be real though, Uconnect is not known as being the best media center among auto manufactures, so I don't know when this will happen, if it will. Kind of kills me that that @RamCares won't update and tell us status though. "We are not working on it and have no plans" is a fine answer, so is "we expect it to be released soon", or even "get an iphone nerd".