Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, commuter culture has completely changed. Instead of driving for an hour to get to work, people simply walk into the next room. Despite the roads being a little less crowded this year, that isn’t stopping Google from expanding support for Android Auto, which is now available in 36 new countries in Europe and Asia.
Here’s the full list of new countries getting Android Auto, according to Google:
- Albania
- Angola
- Armenia
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Moldova
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Ukraine
While Android Auto is starting to arrive in some of these markets today, it could take a few months to fully roll out. Once the rollout is complete, Android Auto will be available in 70 countries across the globe.
Users with Android 10 and above simply need to plug their device into a compatible car to use Android Auto, as the service is preloaded on all devices with GMS. Devices with Android 9 and earlier need to download the Android Auto app from Google Play. Note that wireless Android Auto support requires Android 11 or a Google or Samsung phone running Android 10+.
If you’ve never used Android Auto, it’s a great tool to use while on the road, whether you’re commuting to work, going on a road trip, or trying to visit a new food spot. Once your Android phone is plugged into a compatible head unit, your apps will show up onscreen. You can use select apps optimized for Android Auto and approved by Google, such as Waze, Spotify, and Google Calendar.
You can also get help from Google Assistant, so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Android Auto is one of those experiences that, once you use it and it doesn't break on you, you never want to hit the road without it. And it continues to improve every year, so it's good to see that, despite the challenging year we've had, Android Auto is available in even more regions.