Revealed: Android 15 brings big upgrades to cars running Android Automotive

[phillynews215]

• Android Automotive 15, the special version of Android 15 made for cars, brings several key improvements to apps, connectivity, and more.
• Although Google hasn’t announced Android Automotive 15 yet, it documented these changes on a webpage that we spotted.
• It’s unclear when cars running the latest version of Android Automotive OS will appear on the road.

Although the majority of changes in every new Android release are targeted towards mobile devices, there are a lot of changes that aren’t intended for phones or tablets at all. After all, the Android operating system also supports watches, TVs, and cars. The special version of Android designed for cars, called Android Automotive OS (AAOS), follows a yearly release cycle just like Android for mobile devices. Although Google hasn’t made a formal announcement yet about Android Automotive 15, the latest version of AAOS based on Android 15, the company has shared detailed release notes that reveal what new features and changes the update brings. Here’s what they are.

Streaming to Bluetooth headsets

For starters, Android Automotive 15 finally lets you stream audio from the car to Bluetooth headsets. Google says you can now use wireless headphones as audio output devices by opening Audio Settings > Audio Output Device and then designating a pair of headphones as an output device. If you choose to do so, though, then you won’t be able to stream audio from your phone to your car over Bluetooth, as the operating system only supports one active media or audio stream over Bluetooth at a time, regardless of whether the car is acting as a source or as a sink.




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