Here's The Good & Bad of Android Automotive (Volvo XC60 Recharge)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2022
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I'm not a big fan of my car sending all my personal data to google, but at least it will put pressure on manufacturers to improve their crappy infotainment and voice assistants.
If you hold down the Assistant button, it uses Siri when using CarPlay. If you press it once, it will use the Google assistant.
I've been driving cars with voice command capabilities for 12 years now and my Polestar 2 with Android/Google is the first one I've actually used regularly. It works 10 times better than any other car I've owned. Love it.
INSANE bump in quality in this video.
I have a V90 (2023). The Google infotainment system is a big disaster. Especially the instrument cluster. No customization, just one '90s-style "graphical" mode, and if you're not navigating, you'll just see a big, ugly black screen (previously, before Google OS, there were 4 types of graphics on the instrument cluster, now there is only one). The Car Play works only wired, that's in 2024 is a joke. The driving modes and physical button have been eliminated, the instrument cluster is a big dark void, you can't customize anything, you can't off the start/stop system and I could list endlessly. Get in a random 2024 premium car and you'll fly 10 years into the future compared to this. The car is physically amazing, which is why I'm disappointed with the terrible info system. I don't understand why Volvo would degrade this otherwise excellent car with such an outdated and poorly functioning nightmare?
I have AAOS in my S60 and it’s a train wreck, big step backward from Sensus. The map integration with the PHEV system doesn’t work very well, maybe the pure EVs are better. AAOS has a long long way to go, at least with Volvo.
Glad you did this video. I've been living with (what Volvo calls) the Google OS in my '22 XC60 T8 ER for eight months now. Here's what I hate about it (besides what I already wrote a day or two ago in another comment about disliking vertical screens (because they aren't as flexible in cars as horizontal screens -- if they are laid into the dashboard and not tacked on like an iPad-glued-to-dashboard): (1) icons are too small, and with most roads not being silky smooth, my fingers are all-too-often hitting the wrong icons and taking me into sub-menus that I then have to exit from, and start all over again; (2) too many important features are buried into sub-menus -- dangerous for drivers taking their eyes off the roads for long periods; (3) there is no way to customize the home screen; (4) there is no way to show multiple panels (with multiple functions), other than i. maps, ii. one radio function, iii. phone, and iv. one "app" (like a phone app) -- and when you display those four "lines" of options, you can't see what is going on with them, really; (5) you can show multiple panels -- in a very limited way that's not really a huge improvement -- with Apple CarPlay, but CarPlay can only be played with your phone wired to a USB-C port in the center-armrest storage area, and then you can't plug in a flash drive (as I always have plugged in with my music, which I don't keep on my iPhone, and so I don't use CarPlay, which I don't find very good software, anyway, and not worth having to take up valuable phone space for music storage); (6) the infotainment screen is very buggy and glitchy, and it's prone to freezing for long periods (meaning you lose access to rear-view camera, climate and audio settings, drive-mode settings, my air conditioning, etc.); (7) yeah, drive-mode settings are in the touchscreen only -- super-frustrating (should be a dial/button on the steering wheel); (8) only a few Google apps are available for download, and they're almost all crappy and not worth having; (9) I have AudioWagon for my flash-drive music, and it works most of the time (but occasionally doesn't), and it always flashes an error message when starting up the car that I have to dismiss with a touch on the touchscreen that says my flashdrive is not compatible (a lie), followed by having another message asking if I want to connect to AudioWagon -- both of which have to be dismissed before I can see my back-up camera view; (10) then I get a third message most (but not all) of the time asking if I want to install new software (I don't because you have to leave your car locked for an hour or two, parked, to install new software), which I have to dismiss also; (11) I'm just getting started. Is there anything to like about the Google OS in the infotainment screen? To be honest, NO. I will say that the Google Maps is a huge improvement over the old crappy Sensus maps in Volvos, but the lettering is too small and the highlighted traffic-flow colors too thin and hard to see; the navigation is generally good once you get it working, but getting it set to where you want to go is hit-or-miss (voice commands are a "D+" or "C-" in my book for this car, with the majority of things I ask the car to do not being available or understood), and the icons on the Google Maps are really horrible. When you re-center the map, you lose your zoom-in level; it always resets to something like 1.5x1.5 miles; touchscreens are just horrible for moving around on a map when the car is moving and the road is bumpy (my Porsches have dials below the map screen that you conveniently turn to zoom in or out without making mistakes). The radio system sucks in the Google OS; you have to go into sub-menus to change from FM to AM radio, and AM radio is only from an app you have to download (IHeartRadio, for example), and it takes a while to start any radio station because you're loading an app and starting a program running (which doesn't always start up and doesn't always run) -- unlike an analog radio with buttons and dials in which the radio comes on IMMEDIATELY without fail, ever. And CarPlay sucks anyway; it's not a great app, and any automaker should have the best things that CarPlay offers in its own OS anyway. I do wish that Apple would create an entire OS with screens built into cars like this, instead of letting Google do it and instead of needing your phone for anything besides making phone calls. And then there's the whole issue of the crappy instrument panel (which is way too basic and lacks way too many important features). But I've written enough here just on the infotainment touch screen! I give the Volvo Google infotainment system a "D" (and that's being kind, boosted mainly because of the Google Maps not being horrible); for comparison, the Porsche infotainment screen/system of the last 4-5 years (which I'm well familiar with in two Porsches I've owned in that span) gets a grade of "A", and Volvo should look at it to see what Porsche does right and Volvo gets absolutely wrong. Even Toyota, costing half as much, has a better infotainment system (and it's pretty basic, and I'd give it a "C"). And voice commands is NEVER an acceptable excuse for doing away with physical buttons/dials; voice commands simply are not that good, and I don't want to use voice commands when I am talking to or listening to passengers in my car, on the phone, or listening to radio/music.
No ability to play from pen drive without 3rd party app. Doesn't show what's playing unless your viewing the music apps. You cannot browse and choose music from a Bluetooth connected phone using the Bluetooth Player. Lack of apps in the Play Store. inaccurate speed limit shown on central display/head-up display
I had this in a rental. And all of a sudden, I went from one Android device, to two Android devices. Apps need to share data through the cloud, if even available for the car. I was very sad. I found my navigation targets while sitting in a cafe, then I walked to the car and had to hope my selections would show up in the search history. Not everything you click on will go there, so that was annoying. I also see cars driving around with glaring security problems in the middle future. A stupid car showing the screen of my mobile seemed like the better idea to me.
Google has issues with their lane display still, all these years later. They have slowly closed down their phones over the years to pad their bottom line and own products. They release Android and Android Auto versions that have issues with common phones - proper testing seems lax. I am wary of Google being in control of the software for my car as well.
My Volvo has this infotainment system and I’m so impressed by it. Yes it’s ‘missing’ some features compared to the old Volvo system, but it’s slick, easy to use and actually works! It has improved noticeably with every software update too
Since you briefly get into the instrument panel (
I've had Android Automotive in my XC40 P8 for almost 2 years. It's fantastic, and one of the big reasons we bought it over the Mach-E. The support for users with Android phones happens not through screen mirroring like Android Auto, but through bluetooth connectivity. You do get your Google Messages in your infotainment system, and it will read them to you through the audio system if you choose. The assistant is really good at doing things to eliminate the need for touching the screen while driving like adjusting fan speed and temperature. Turning on or off the drivers or passengers heated seats, although strangely it won't work on heated rear seats. Built-In Google Maps is pretty good at trip planning, adding multiple stops to charge on a cross country trip, showing how much battery you will have when you get there and telling you how long you will need to charge to get to the next charger and updating the numbers as you drive.
Very nice features but it makes me think of a bunch of questions that I have not found answers for anywhere:
Max, you are a very knowledgeable and articulate new member of Kyle's team - this video was concise and thorough.
I have this same car. The biggest bug is the radio doesn't turn on when you start the car consistently. You have to press play in the app most times. I got so frustrated I downloaded iHeart and it does the same thing. You always have to open the app and press play. Volvo sent an email today that an OTA update is releasing this week that sounds like it may fix it. Your car will also brick if you try to do an OTA update with the charger connected. At least they give you a warning now. I have a reservation for Blazer and ready to go full electric again
Wife just got her 2023 Yukon SLE and it has the Google interface. Wife loves it but we're Android phone users and her last vehicle had GMs system from 2 generations ago.
Hey, I have tried to use android auto with my 2023 Volvo XC60 Plus. It doesn't show up. Can we use android auto connected to my android phone?
I have a question. Does It have park assist like the old XC60? Because I can't seem to find It.
Will be interesting with CarPlay 16, where they showed a lot more integration possibilities with the in-car systems.