Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Phones have become so versatile that they have invaded the infotainment system in many newer cars. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are now the go-to options for an in-car experience, especially if you want a bit of familiarity and consistency.
Although I’ve been as indecisive as the general consensus on the Android vs. iPhone debate in the mobile space — I’ve wavered between the two many times over the years — I think my choice can finally be made this time. All because of the in-car experience. Android Auto is so bad it made me go back to the iPhone, probably for good.
For your suffering: Android Auto problems and how to fix them
This piece reflects my experience using Apple CarPlay on the iPhone 12 Mini, followed by Android Auto on the OnePlus 10 Pro, and again CarPlay on the iPhone 13 Mini. The car in question is a Tata Harrier XTA+ Dark Edition, supporting wired iterations of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Connection and consistency issues
C. Scott Brown/Android Authority
To start, let me explain why I expected so much from Android Auto. When I got my car, I was using an iPhone 12 Mini and CarPlay was a breeze. I rarely had any issues with it, and the two times it didn’t immediately connect to my car, just plugging the cable back in did the trick. I upgraded to the OnePlus 10 Pro and thought Android Auto would, at the very least, have tolerable flaws. I didn’t expect it to be as bad as CarPlay.
Android Auto, however, was a disappointment from day one. The general inconsistency that’s part of Android’s DNA, which we often tolerate and appreciate because of the freedom that comes with it, is a hundred times worse when projected onto the infotainment screen of your car and you don’t have the time or the luxury to deal with it. Especially when you’re rushing to get somewhere or you’re already driving and can’t take your eyes off the road for more than a second.
Android Auto requires me to plug in my phone at least four or five times to finally perform the handshake that recognizes the connection in my car. Turning Bluetooth on every time I have to plug my phone in my car is also annoying. Still, it would have been nice if the overall experience was cohesive.
I went to great lengths to make sure my setup wasn’t the problem.
I tried different cables, different Android phones and different cars as well, just to make sure it wasn’t a problem with my setup alone. The conclusion? Android Auto was inconsistent even in its gravity in different configurations, but it was still bad at establishing and maintaining a connection with the car. I took a quick look around the internet to make sure I wasn’t cursed, and it seems connection issues are just an unavoidable part of Android Auto.
A workaround: How to use Android Auto wirelessly in an unsupported car
CarPlay improves the car interface
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Android Auto’s design elements also leave a lot to be desired. Generally speaking, the design elements of CarPlay are better – clearer, easier to navigate and better looking. The latter can be subjective to some extent, but the first two give CarPlay a clear advantage. Both systems ran at 800 x 480 resolution in my car, but Android Auto looked visibly pixelated thanks to its lower DPI.
A car interface should be easy to see while driving. Google’s design is an eyesore, with tiny elements and lots of pixelation, especially on those circular icons. This is one area where I prefer the bold, loud approach that Apple uses with its icons and buttons, by a mile.
The user experience also has issues. What frustrated me more than anything was Google Maps. While driving, Google Maps on Android Auto disables the on-screen keyboard entirely, leaving you at the mercy of a wayward Google Assistant. Otherwise, you have to pick up your phone and use the keyboard to type in a destination – a very dangerous maneuver while driving.
Who thought forcing yourself to pick up your phone while driving just to type in a destination was a good idea?
Using Google Assistant would have been fine, except it’s not very good at typing in place names in my area (Goa, India). Not once did it detect a non-English destination name correctly, after several attempts, even though I adjusted it phonetically. Siri isn’t the best, but I’ve never had to use it over CarPlay, and CarPlay’s good-sized keyboard is still there on the car screen if I need it.
Our choices : The best Android Auto apps to get the most out of them
Google Apps is somehow better on CarPlay
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Whether I use an Android phone or an iPhone, most of my favorite apps are Google apps. In the car, it’s Google Maps and YouTube Music. Surprisingly, both behave significantly better on CarPlay than on Android Auto.
I’ve talked about the biggest limitation of Google Maps above, but there’s more. In my experience, it works best on CarPlay with almost no issues. On Android Auto, however, it would lag with traffic updates. The interface looks choppier and looks worse too, thanks to pixelation.
Even Google’s own apps behave better on CarPlay than on Android Auto. It’s a big problem.
The story was similar with YouTube Music. On Android Auto, the app quite often greeted me with an empty landing page. The sound cut out from time to time and the sound quality was noticeably worse. This did not happen on CarPlay.
I love Google’s services, although they can be tricky at times. However, in my experience, CarPlay even does the Google part of car interfaces better than Android Auto. It’s a big problem.
We tested it: The best car apps for Android for drivers and owners
Have you had any issues with Android Auto?
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Android Auto is an inconsistent (and unrecoverable) mess
I really wish Android Auto worked better, but it probably never will, and it’s probably not necessary.
Google has a history of cascading gaffes with certain services, and those services usually never recover. They almost always go to the grave, after multiple iterations that don’t improve much. Android Auto seems to be on this path. Google is reportedly working on an Android Auto overhaul, but should it even care when it already has Android Automotive?
The automobile has been in the works for years and only recently began shipping in some cars. It’s the next step in Android’s in-car experience, and it forces Google to work with automakers. As such, it promises to be a better all-around product than Auto. (At WWDC 22, Apple said it was also tracking CarPlay 2.0, which is a similar iteration.)
Google isn’t planning Automotive as a sequel to Auto – yet. However, we all know that automotive is headed squarely in the direction the automotive industry is already heading: an infotainment system running a dedicated operating system natively, rather than your phone only projecting a limited interface on a screen. Why would Google favor or even work on improving the Auto when it has already stepped in the door with the Automobile? Maybe it’s time he cut his losses and moved on.
Screen-casting from a phone will become less relevant in the coming years, and I don’t expect Android Auto or Apple CarPlay 1.0 to make any more leaps and bounds.
For now, however, CarPlay is nearly perfect as is, while Android Auto hits and misses a lot. As much as I wish it weren’t, just to have more choice, I can’t sacrifice ease of use or ignore safety while driving. So I’m going to have to stick with an iPhone for a solid and reliable in-car interface, and so will anyone who can’t see past the glaring Android Auto issues.
Next: You can already have Apple’s new CarPlay experience today