- Google has made a small but useful tweak to Android Auto
- Driving status can now be ascertained via Bluetooth
- This reduces the chances of mistakenly muting notifications
If you’re a regular Android Auto user, you may have noticed that there are a rather complicated set of rules around notifications being automatically blocked while you’re driving – but it seems Google has now sorted out one of the most frustrating issues.
As spotted by Android Authority, the option to have Do Not Disturb automatically enabled in Android Auto when motion is detected seems to have been tweaked. This setting was known for accidentally muting alerts on the phones of passengers as well as drivers.
Now, the old option to have Do Not Disturb turn itself on when the phone is connected to a car dashboard via Bluetooth has been added back. That’s a much more reliable indicator of whether someone is driving and whether this mode should be enabled.
It makes sense that you don’t necessarily want a flurry of alerts distracting you while you’re at the wheel, but it’s also important to give users control over this – and not have Do Not Disturb enabling itself without any manual interactions.
Check for updates
Google hasn’t actually said anything officially about this, so we don’t have the full story, but as per Android Authority the update is starting to roll out across various Android devices. Version 26.05.32 of Google Play Services is the update to look out for.
On a Pixel phone, you can check if you’ve been given the refresh by opening up Settings, then tapping Modes and Driving. If you select While driving, you’ll see the Bluetooth option is back, if your Google Play Services version is right up to date.
Samsung phones actually do this best, because they also make the phone check that it’s connected to an Android Auto dashboard – not just a Bluetooth device. Let’s hope Google adds a little more granular control here in the future.
The next notable Android update is Android 17, and it should be arriving later this year with multiple upgrades included. So far, however, there haven’t been any indications that Android Auto will get any significant upgrades.
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