Android Auto’s big makeover for 2026 is Gemini at its most practical

At last week’s Android Show: I/O Edition, Google promised 2026 would be a big year for Android Auto, with major updates planned for how the platform looks and works in all cars and devices where it’s available. At I/O 2026, Engadget got a chance to see some of these upgrades working with both Android Auto on a phone and a Volvo EX60 with Google built in.

On top of that, most of the improvements Google announced earlier this month will be available to people whether they access them directly from their car or via phone. I noticed some visual differences between how these features are presented. With Android Auto, you get Google’s own Material 3 Expressive everywhere; with Google built in, it’s still Material 3 Expressive, but modified to accommodate the automaker’s own styling and vehicle-specific hardware.

The tradeoff is that Google’s built-in offers Gemini integration, which is only possible when manufacturers directly plug the assistant into their cars, allowing you to use your voice to change model-specific settings. In the case of the EX60, this meant that the Googler who spoke to me about the demo was able to tell Gemini to « darken » the car’s sunroof, and it went from transparent to opaque. The officer was also able to ask Gemini to describe footage from one of the car’s front cameras. When the assistant saw the Trans-American Pyramid in the distance, he told us that it was once the tallest building in San Francisco for 48 years. It diplomatically omits to mention that the title is taken from the grotesque Salesforce Tower.

Everything else that Google previously announced will be available to both Android Auto and Google Built-in users when the upgrades roll out. For example, with Immersive Navigation, the major overhaul of driving directions that Google first announced in March, you can expect a similar experience no matter how you access the feature. In the demos I saw, no cars moved, but as they drove along a virtual route, Google Maps rendered buildings in 3D to create a better sense of scale and depth. Important road features such as stop signs, traffic lights and crosswalks were prominently placed to make them difficult to miss. Gemini also created more intuitive voice directions, saying things like « turn left at the next block. » It’s a sleek interface that I think most Android Auto users will like a lot once they’ve had some time to acclimate.

Google also wanted to show me how the Android Auto team is working with third-party developers and other teams at Google to make their apps look and feel more like the experiences they offer on mobile. I saw this in action with Spotify, which in its latest version for Android Auto definitely looks more like Android and iOS. Whether this is a welcome tweak will depend on how you feel about using a touchscreen in a car, though the Googler who walked me through the demo noted that the Android Auto team has guidelines for touchscreen use designed to reduce distractions.

I also saw the Android-like widgets that Google is bringing to Android Auto. They’re a small addition, but there’s a benefit to having specific information or features just a tap or swipe away. In the demo I saw, a Google employee had a widget set up to check the weather for future bike rides. Again, this is a small addition, but one that made me wonder why Google didn’t add custom widgets to Android Auto sooner.