What are these technology offerings, and how do they compare? And, perhaps more important, what do these systems mean for the future of in-car infotainment?
CarPlay and Android Auto enable drivers to integrate their iPhones or Android phones with the car’s infotainment system. The dashboard screen becomes a second screen for the phone, enabling the driver (or passenger) to operate music, navigation, and communication apps. Many newer car models feature support for these technologies with steering wheel controls, although the preferred interface method is voice commands to maximize distraction-free driving. Both systems also enable control via the dashboard touch screen.
Many cars that support one of these systems also support the other, so most car buyers are not faced with choosing a car on the basis of their phones (or vice versa). In addition, a number of aftermarket infotainment systems support both technologies.
Head-to-head comparison finds that the feature sets of the two technologies are pretty evenly matched. This is unsurprising, given that the goal is to provide the driver with a limited set of functions that can be used without distracting from the task of driving. The two technologies do differ slightly in certain aspects:
Why has it taken so long for CarPlay and Android Auto to hit the mainstream? A couple of possible explanations come to mind:
But the biggest reason may be that these systems are seen not as the future of in-car infotainment, but stepping stones along the way. The real future lies in the evolving integration of automobiles with everything around them: Not just mobile phones but other cars, traffic infrastructure, and more. The impending advent of 5G cellular promises to enable this level of integration, with features such as:
In the words of Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams, the car is “the ultimate mobile device.” With 5G technologies right around the corner, neither carmakers nor Android and Google can generate much enthusiasm for investing money and resources on technologies that 5G will render obsolete. This also may explain why Apple and Google have not added many enhancements since the initial release of CarPlay and Android Auto.
Future semi-autonomous or fully autonomous cars, whether owned by their users or available for hire, will know not only your entertainment preferences but what temperature you want inside the car and whether you prefer a soft or stiff suspension for your ride to work. And it will all be seamless, without requiring you to plug anything in. The development required to make this all work will be significant, eclipsing that for CarPlay and Android Auto many times over. Thus, at bottom, CarPlay and Android Auto are throwaway technologies that provide only a taste of what’s to come. So enjoy them for now, but don’t get too attached to them.