Google’s new version of Android Automotive will move beyond infotainment

Letting Big Tech interact with a car’s hardware opens a whole can of worms. So, Android Automotive has thus far been limited to infotainment systems to handle mapping and streaming music—all the things you can do with a phone mounted to the dashboard. Google’s next step offers carmakers a full Android Automotive SDV, allowing the embedded Google software to interact with non-safety parts of the car. So the Android-powered screen in a car might be able to control the air conditioning or pipe in driving data to let you know when maintenance is required. However, it won’t be responsible for making sure your intelligent braking or lane-keeping systems work as intended.