Google is slowly transforming Android Auto into a true in-car multimedia center. An announcement made at the I/O 2025 conference is a game-changer for developers. Web browsers, videos, and weather forecasts are coming soon to car screens.
Until now, embedded systems in cars were limited to practical functions: music, calls, or GPS. The idea was primarily to assist driving without distracting. But with technological advances, screens are getting bigger, connections are getting faster, and expectations are evolving. Manufacturers are increasingly partnering with giants like Google to enrich vehicle interfaces.
It is in this context that Google took advantage of its I/O 2025 conference to announce a new extension of Android Auto. The system, already compatible with navigation, music, and communication apps, will soon be expanded to two new categories: web browsers and video apps. This is a significant change that significantly expands the possibilities.
Google allows web navigation and video apps on Android Auto
Until now, Android Auto limited third-party apps to a few key functions like music, location, and connected objects. Since March, Google had already begun integrating games like Candy Crush and Angry Birds into beta versions. Developers can now also offer web navigation apps, a first for the platform. Videos will also be allowed, but only under certain conditions: the vehicle must be stationary and the smartphone must be running Android 16 or later. These new categories remain in a closed testing phase for now, reserved for developers for internal testing. At the same time, Google is announcing several notable developments that will arrive in the coming months. Android Auto will thus integrate new functions designed to enrich the dashboard screen, without compromising safety:
- The ability to freely publish weather applications
- Video support, only when stationary and with Android 16 minimum
- Access to web browsing from the car's central screen
- The Quick Share function to transfer content between smartphone and vehicle
- Improvements to messaging apps with display of history and meetings
- Audio playback of videos while driving.
With these additions, Android Auto takes an important step forward. The interface becomes more versatile, more connected, and aligns with the uses already well established on smartphones.
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