Here’s what you can expect from the new Android Automotive 12L
Android 12L may seem like an old hat at this point, given that it feels likeAndroid 13is right around the corner, but many manufacturers are still in the process of upgrading to these older Android versions. And now, Google has made the latest release of Android 12 available to car manufacturersas Android Automotive 12L, bringing a few key improvements to the in-car infotainment experience.
While the specific visuals are up to car manufacturers to implement, Android Automotive 12L is bringing a new quick controls feature to cars. This allows OEMs to bring select toggles to any part of their system UI. In practice, this would allow a manufacturer to add a Bluetooth quick toggle to the status bar, allowing drivers to change their connectivity settings with a tap rather than having to dig into the settings menu.
Other than that, there are additional options for UI customizations and a visual overhaul for notifications, with particular improvements to grouped notifications. While specifics are up to car manufacturers here, too, you can expect that the improvements will be visible in some form or another.
The integration with car hardware is also getting tighter with this update, as it adds support for rotary controllers, like you may knowfrom Mazda. This could provide a whole new way to interact with your Android Automotive-powered infotainment system that might be safer than touchscreen interactions.
As for Bluetooth and audio changes, the update is bringing better Bluetooth reconnection performance, which should hopefully lead to fewer connectivity hiccups. A new hardware abstraction layer makes audio ducking more reliable for navigation instructions and such, and an improved API allows manufacturers to give you finer control of volume. There is also the option to mute per volume group.
Overall, Android Automotive 12L looks like a solid upgrade that could make life easier for drivers, especially when it comes to settings shortcuts and notifications enhancements. However, it is still up to car manufacturers to update their cars with the latest release, so it might take quite a while until it’s available in the select few cars to run Automotive. Note that this isn’t an update to Android Auto, the phone connectivity option available on a lot more cars. These systems may share a similar name and aselection of great Android Auto apps, but they’re distinct.
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