At WWDC this week, Apple previewed iOS 26, which includes notable improvements to CarPlay. The update introduces Live Activities and widgets, providing drivers with timely, glanceable information without needing to open apps or handle their phones.
This approach echoes the original Android Auto experience from 2014, which focused on simplicity and proactive information rather than app-centric design. Early Android Auto featured a streamlined interface with quick access to navigation, phone, and music controls, alongside a Google Now-powered homescreen that displayed minimized directions, weather, calendar events, and email updates.
Despite its promising start, Google shifted Android Auto in 2019 toward a more app-focused platform, moving away from the proactive, minimal design that initially set it apart. The current version has increasingly mirrored Apple’s CarPlay interface.
Some users express frustration with Google’s pattern of abandoning innovative ideas only to later adopt them after Apple popularizes similar features. The return of proactive elements in CarPlay with iOS 26 highlights this cycle. While Live Activities and widgets are not identical to early Android Auto features, they revive the principle of delivering relevant information efficiently to drivers.
Google may revisit this proactive approach in future updates, potentially leveraging AI developments like Gemini to enhance context-aware information. Widgets on CarPlay also suggest possibilities for Android Auto to explore similar concepts, albeit adapted to its platform.
Meanwhile, some observers hope Google will build on its original strengths rather than quickly following Apple’s lead.