In August last year, Google confirmed that it would kill off Android Auto for Phone Screens on Android 12. With the first stable Android 12 release, the company pulled the plug on Android Auto for Phone Screens on devices running Android 12. However, the company did not remove the feature for those still on older releases. Sadly, that is no longer the case, and Google has now finally shut down Android Auto for Phone Screens for all users.
According to a recent report from 9to5Google, Google started showing the following notification in Android Auto for Phone Screens earlier this month. But the company did not provide a specific date for the shutdown at the time.
Android Auto for phone screen will stop working soon
Google seems to have implemented the change this week, as users can no longer access Android Auto for Phone Screens on devices running Android 11 or older. Even if you have the app installed on your device, it will redirect you to the Android Auto settings page, which clearly states that the platform is now only available for car screens. The change reportedly started showing up for some users earlier this week, and it now seems to be live for all devices running older versions of Android.
Thankfully, Google already has a replacement for the feature -- Google Assistant Driving Mode. First announced at I/O 2019, Google Assistant Driving Mode started rolling out widely last year and received a new homescreen UI in September 2021. If you've not tried it out so far, you can access it by simply asking the Assistant to "launch Driving Mode" or saying, "Hey Google, let's drive." Here's what it looks like:
Google Assistant Driving Mode offers most of the core features found on the now-defunct Android Auto for Phone Screens.
Do you plan to switch to Google Assistant Driving Mode now that Android Auto for Phone Screens is no longer available for all users? Let us know in the comments section below.
Source: Reddit
Via: 9to5Google