Google publishes developer guidelines for Android Auto

Three months after its official debut, Google is finally ready to offer a developer overview of its in-car platform, Android Auto.

Google had a lot to talk about at Google I/O this year, so we didn’t hear as much as we would have liked about Android Auto, the company’s solution for connected vehicles. We already know that Android Auto leverages Google Voice to allow drivers access to Maps, Play Music, and messaging, and the company has noted a developer SDK would arrive soon. Now we’re hearing a bit more about those guidelines.

Google has published a developer overview for Android Auto, detailing the OS’s functionality at launch as well as the design, architecture, and UI. Just like we heard at Google I/O, early versions of Android Auto will bring support for media playback, as well as notifications via existing Android APIs, and Voice Actions for compatible apps and services.

First and foremost, the search giant assures devs that creating for Android Auto doesn’t mean creating an entirely new application. Instead, they’ll be able to extend current apps via implementations of the media services interfaces in the Android Auto SDK. This means devs still only have to maintain one app, can reuse existing functionality, and don’t require an Android Auto UI of their own.

Of course, connected cars have been around for ages, but Google is keen to educate developers on best Android Auto app practices. The company offered some guidelines for how developers’ apps should present themselves, stating that experiences on Android Auto are “glanceable and simple,” “predictive, yet predictable,” “connected,” and “naturally integrated.” The idea is that Android Auto brings your phone into your car in a way that doesn’t remove focus from the road.

“Because attention is limited and not all tasks are possible in the car, effective apps leverage the entire set of devices that drivers have, leveraging the app experience on those devices, outside of the car, to set the stage for simple experiences while driving,” Google explained.

Perhaps most interesting is Google’s discussion of the architecture of Android Auto and the subsequent sneak peek of the UI. The architecture of an Android Auto experience starts with the media app on your phone, which feeds content to the Android Auto app with a specialized UI, which is then sent to the vehicle display. With all that going on behind the scenes, sitting in your car, you’ll see something that should look a little something like this:

Last but certainly not least, Google has said the Android Auto SDK is coming soon (in the next few months).

Check out more on Google’s official Android Auto developer pages.