In an unexpected twist, Google has just started rolling out yet another Android Auto update in version 13.9, but don’t expect any major changes.
Google generally launches new Android Auto app updates on a roughly once-per-month schedule, but the company has unexpectedly just released Android Auto 13.9 to the beta rollout channel just days after Android Auto 13.8 graduated from beta.
The update doesn’t deliver much in the sense of new ground-breaking changes, but does make a few updates as we’ll detail below.
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
Android Auto 13.9 updates language throughout the experience with new terminology. These updates can be found throughout the experience, and in part continue work that started earlier this year in Android Auto 13.5. In many places that refer to using Android Auto on a “car,” the app now says “vehicle.”
For example, in one part of Android Auto, Google previously said:
“Android Auto will resume when your car’s parked. Already parked? Engage the parking brake.”
Now, the app says:
“Android Auto will resume when your vehicle’s parked. Already parked? Engage the parking brake.”
We won’t list out all of the changes here as there are dozens, but a few other examples include:
- “To start, select Android Auto on your vehicle screen”
- “To continue, use your vehicle screen, or tap Disconnect to stop.”
- “Your phone may not connect to a vehicle while USB debugging is on. You can turn this off in Developer Options.”
- “Tap here to learn how you can get new software version for your vehicle”
- “Show weather on your vehicle screen, obtained using your phone location”
Some of the changes made were also mentioned in the v13.5 beta update.
Presumably, Google has also included various bug fixes in this update, but we’ll have to wait and see if those make any changes for ongoing bugs within the experience. Hopefully, it includes a fix for wireless connection issues.
Android Auto 13.9 is now rolling out, but may not be available to all users for a while.
More on Android Auto:
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
