Google will stop with separate Android Auto app for phone screens from Android 12

Google is ending its standalone Android Auto app for phone screens. From Android 12, only the Driving mode in Google Assistant is supported. For some users, the app doesn’t seem to work at all.

Several XDA Developers users note that the standalone Android Auto app no ​​longer works. That only seems to be the case on Pixel phones running Android 12. Users who want to use the app on it will see a warning that Android Auto can only be used on screens in cars and they are informed that Driving mode can be called up in Google Assistant, with the option to switch that mode on immediately.

Google confirms to 9to5Google that it will stop supporting the Android Auto app for phone screens. That will happen from Android 12. Users will be “switched over” to Driving mode in Assistant, the company says.

It specifically concerns the app Android Auto for phone screens. That’s really just a shortcut to the original Android Auto app, which has been built into the operating system more since Android 10. So with Android Auto for phone screens, the old Android Auto experience can be recalled on the phone itself.

Google has been looking to phase out the Android Auto for phone screens app for a few years now and instead wants to integrate Google Assistant more into Google Maps. For this, Google is now gradually spreading the Assistant Driving mode to Android users. Users will see this mode when they start a route in Google Maps. Google Assistant is then enabled by default and can be called up with voice commands. There is also a menu to make it easier to open certain apps, such as Spotify or the phone app. This mode is very similar to Android Auto for phone screens. The Assistant Driving mode only works in portrait mode for the time being, in landscape the mode switches itself off.