- Having Google Maps in-dash is fantastic.
- Google Maps volume control isn't fantastic.
- Google Music through Android Auto is a mess.
- Podcast apps are a great example of what's been missing in-dash.
- The initial USB connection is finicky.
My setup is a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with the LG G4 on the Sprint network. It is hard to express how much better the Hyundai infotainment system is (even without the Android Auto functionality) in comparison to my 2012 Toyota with Entune. I couldn't wait to get rid of Entune and I thought that Android Auto was the answer. What I've learned in a short time is that Android Auto is great, but I'm using the very-well-thought-out Hyundai system more than I ever thought I would. The Hyundai navigation system is very feature rich. I love the Bluelink cellular-powered, voice-activated Google Search feature. However, the Hyundai navigation solution uses the yawn-inducing SiriusXM traffic service which leaves a lot to be desired. In hindsight, my urge to switch cars was more rooted in how bad Entune was and not in how good Android Auto is.
Google Maps
Having Google Maps in-dash is fantastic and by itself a reason to get Android Auto. When I expect traffic on my route I turn to Google Maps. I find it to have very accurate ETAs. The micro-rerouting that results from the traffic content is unparalleled and the machine learning predictions related to navigation that appear through Google Now are great.
The biggest issue with Google Maps through Android Auto is the inability to control the volume of the navigation instructions independently of the media audio. When you have to turn up the volume of a news podcast in BeyondPod, prepare to be blasted deaf by the navigation instruction from Google Maps. That has to change.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music. Wow. What a mess. My Library in Google Play Music (all of which are cached offline) consists of:
- Personally built playlists
- Subscribed playlists created by others
- Stations built myself seeded from artists or songs
- Stations that originate from the "Play music for..." section (the Songza functionality)
Stations that originate from the Songza functionality portion of Google Play Music are completely non-functional through Android Auto. One of my stations is called Today's Biggest Hits Radio. However, in the Stations section of Android Auto there is nothing called "Today's Biggest Hits Radio." Instead, the station is listed by whatever the first song happens to be in that station. Try distinguishing one station from another when it displays stations like that!
Clicking on the first song in that station results in a long pause followed by the error message "Google Play Music doesn't appear to be working." There is also a crash of the Google Play Music app on the phone though it is concealed behind the Android Auto screen saver. I've submitted this error report about a half dozen times so far, so lets hope Google gets this mess cleaned up.
Every station originating from the Songza functionality of Google Play Music has the same problem and that problem persists after uninstalling, reinstalling and clearing the cache of the Google Play Music app. It's a big no-go for that functionality.
Subscribed playlists built from others also have difficulty through Android Auto. They at least appear correctly in the station list, however starting a song in that playlist causes Google Play Music on the phone to crash and the phone's app to restart.
Google Play Music is by far the weakest link for Android Auto in my limited experience and needs lots of attention.
Podcasts
There is a very limited selection of Android Auto apps at this point but I am enjoying podcast apps immensely. Trying to use a podcast app over a Bluetooth connection while operating a vehicle was a losing proposition but Android Auto makes listening to Podcasts extremely easy.
USB Connection
This is a big area of concern. It's pretty simple: the reliable use of Android Auto should not require activating developer mode on your phone and turning on USB debugging. No mainstream Joe is going to use Android Auto unless they can plug their phone in and it works. Right now, it doesn't. There is a way to connect the phone in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata so that Android Auto usually connects reliability. Read about it in this blog post.
Conclusion
Android Auto has tremendous potential. Having voice-activated phone calls and text messaging capability is wonderful. Having Google Maps in-dash is the ultimate for me. However, the USB connection reliability is ridiculous and Google Play Music is a mess. We all know as early adopters that this will evolve over time. However, the known issues list on the Android Auto website doesn't give you a lot of comfort that Google is aware of, acknowledging and fixing these issues.
