At WWDC, Apple previewed iOS 26 alongside numerous updates, including significant enhancements to CarPlay. Notably, the update introduces Live Activities and widgets, providing drivers with glanceable, timely information without interacting with apps or phones.
These changes echo the original vision behind Android Auto, which launched in 2014 with a focus on simplicity and proactive information. Early Android Auto featured a straightforward interface with navigation, phone, and music controls easily accessible, powered by Google Now. It offered minimized directions, weather updates, music, and timely alerts from Calendar and Gmail, aiming to reduce distractions.
However, Google shifted Android Auto in 2019 toward an app-centric experience, diverging from its original proactive model. Since then, Android Auto has evolved to resemble CarPlay’s current approach.
Some observers express frustration that Google abandoned its innovative design only to follow Apple’s lead later. The introduction of Live Activities and widgets in CarPlay brings similar proactive and glanceable features into the modern era—features Android Auto once championed but largely moved away from.
While current Android Auto implementations include glimpses of proactive functions, such as calendar-based address suggestions, these remain limited. Experts suggest Google might revisit proactive features eventually, possibly aided by emerging technologies like Gemini. Additionally, CarPlay’s widget system could inspire improvements to Android Auto’s interface, though it may require adaptation.
For now, some users lament Google’s decision to shift away from a promising original concept in favor of imitating Apple’s style.