Android Auto to Integrate Car AC Controls, But Not All Cars Will be Compatible

Google is working on adding car AC and climate controls to the Android Auto touchscreen UI, among other settings that could replace or augment a car’s default controls. This means that when using a connected Android smartphone to power a car’s infotainment features, essential controls will be available right within the same interface. This could eliminate the effort and potential distraction of having to tap multiple times to get to the car’s own underlying UI, plus open up new options for voice control and integration with smart features.

News website Android Authority first detected the new climate control features by examining the code of a pre-release test version of the Android Auto app, and has now managed to activate them to see how the new settings appear on screen.

The feature appears to support dual-zone air conditioning with independent temperature adjustment and fan speed control, plus the option to synchronise both sides. There are also shortcuts that appear to indicate users will be able to control seat heating and possibly ventilation, as well as windshield defrosting. 

These settings are all arranged in the bottom taskbar of the UI, and should remain visible and accessible no matter what apps a user is running. It remains to be seen whether Google will want to integrate controls for other car settings and features with future updates.

It’s likely that Google will announce this update soon, potentially at this year’s Google IO developer conference on May 20-21, or at a dedicated Android event that it has just announced, which will take place a week earlier on May 13. The event is titled The Android Show: I/O Edition, and it will be held online rather than in person. 

However, it is not yet clear whether current cars that support Android Auto will be able to implement such controls, as they might not have been designed to accept such commands from a third-party system. Even if it was possible, not all car manufacturers might want to give Google access to such controls. Android Auto has also often been criticised for fragmentation, as multiple smartphone vendors and car manufacturers implement features differently. It’s possible that Google will announce a common standard for future models, or that cars will have to be updated.

Google’s rival in this space, Apple, has in the past demonstrated its “Next-Gen CarPlay” experience, which can in theory take over all controls and display functionality in a car including its digital instrument cluster, maps, ADAS information, essential indicators, and much more. Apple’s Siri voice assistant is heavily integrated. Next-gen CarPlay was first shown off at WWDC 2022, and while detailed information and design guides were published last year, the software has not yet launched in any commercial production vehicle. Apple’s that it will be available on cars shipping in the US in 2024 has not been met, and the claim was quietly deleted from Apple’s website in early 2025. Porsche and Aston Martin were set to be among the first to offer Next-Gen CarPlay, but neither company has done so yet, sparking speculation that they reconsidered giving up so much control over the end-user experience.