For example, if you have a dinner reservation on your calendar, you'll see directions to the location when you enter driving mode. Or maybe you started a podcast at home, you'll see the controls to resume it in the car. If you receive a call, you can hear the name of the caller and decide whether to answer or decline it without having to touch the phone. To start driving mode, just say “Hey Google, let's drive”.
The feature will be implemented this summer on all Android phones with Google Assistant. If you want to navigate while driving, your Android smartphone supports applications that could make things easier for you. Google's apps for vehicle navigation on your smartphone are Android Auto and Google Assistant driving mode. Both applications have the same objective, but are designed differently.
The Google Assistant part of the event has just ended and a number of very interesting features were shown. The Google Assistant app can be activated in Android Auto, but it doesn't integrate into the user interface more cohesively than Google Assistant's driving mode. Google is also focusing on Android Automotive, which comes pre-installed with the vehicle and allows car manufacturers to customize it. In addition, the driving mode of the Google Assistant only includes multimedia applications (Spotify, YouTube Music, VLC, Podcast, etc.) The driving mode of the Google Assistant can also be viewed in horizontal mode, but first you have to activate automatic rotation in the Android settings and put the phone in a horizontal position after opening Google Maps.
Similarly, you can configure Android Auto's driving mode and Google Assistant to start automatically when you connect Android Auto to the vehicle's Bluetooth. You can also access it through Google Maps if you choose the option Start navigation after searching for a location. By comparison, the driving mode of the Google Assistant is less distracting for the driver, since the driver can control everything using voice commands. But Google also announced today that Assistant will have its own dedicated “driving” mode starting this summer.
The Waze Assistant, which will be released in “just a few weeks”, will allow users to report crashes, stop vehicles and do other things similar to those of Waze, all with their voice. Both Android Auto's driving mode and Google Assistant can start automatically if they detect that you're in a moving car, but you must activate those settings. Unlike Android Auto, there's no need to download or install Google Assistant driving mode from the Play Store, as it's a standard feature on Android 12 and later. The Assistant driving mode can be activated on “any Android phone with the Assistant” by saying “Hello, Google, let's drive”.
Google Assistant's driving mode can also resume playing any multimedia content exactly where you left off (just like in the new version of Android Auto). On the other hand, you can easily access other applications such as WhatsApp and Google Chrome on your smartphone while the driving mode of the Google Assistant runs in the background.
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