READ THIS NEXT: If You Have an Android, You’ll Be Barred From Doing This, Starting in August. And while not being able to stream videos or buy new ebooks can be frustrating, Google has now decided to do away with one of Android’s more useful and convenient capabilities. With Android Auto, you can access all of your phone’s abilities while staying safe on the road. When you plug your smartphone into a designated port in your car, the system populates your Android apps on the screen in the central console. This allows you to play music, get driving directions, or have a phone call, using voice commands and staying hands-free. Unfortunately, this feature is limited to cars equipped with Android Auto, meaning your vehicle probably doesn’t have this feature if it was made before 2015—when the system was introduced. Previously, Android users without a newer, compatible car could access this nifty feature directly on their smartphones—but this option is no more. Now, you’re only able to use Android Auto when it’s connected to a car, 9to5Google reported, meaning those with older vehicles are out of luck. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. According to 9to5Google, this shift has been a long time coming. Google originally announced plans to remove Android Auto from phones in 2019, introducing the temporary Android Auto for Phone Screens. And earlier this month, users started seeing a message that read “Android Auto for phone screens will stop working soon” when opening the app, the outlet reported.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Android Auto for Phone Screens has not been available on anything higher than the Android 12 OS, but if you had an earlier version, you were still able to use it. This week, however, users received a new message in the app, which informed them that “Android Auto is now only available for car screens.” While Android users might feel cheated out of their ability to access Android Auto directly on their phones, Google actually has a reason behind this decision. The tech giant is pushing for a shift to Google Assistant Driving Mode, a new user interface (UI) that was announced back in 2019 and rolled out in 2021, 9to5Google reported. And while it doesn’t replace Android Auto for cars, those without compatible vehicles can run Google Assistant Driving Mode on their smartphone itself. But 9to5Google compared the two UIs, finding that the new UI has some drawbacks. For starters, a voice command to the easiest way to initially launch Driving Mode, before adding a shortcut to your home screen. Comparably, Android Auto for Phone Screens was simply downloaded from the Google Play Store and opened from your home screen. Google Assistant Driving Mode also doesn’t work in landscape (when you turn your phone horizontal), displays limited media options, and is only available in certain countries—unlike its predecessor. READ THIS NEXT: Google Just Issued Another Urgent Warning to All Android Users.
