Google tackles big Android Auto pain point with new test feature

Android Auto is great for many reasons, but easy-to-use climate controls are not one of those things. At least, not yet. Android Auto will be getting climate controls soon, it seems. It’s just a matter of when they’ll be made available for users. A recent report showcases a demo of the new climate controls in action, and they’re pretty straightforward, albeit a little hard to see due to the nature of how small they appear in the Android Auto UI.

Android Auto does take up the whole head unit display, though, so if the one in your car is big enough, then you might be able to see them a little more clearly. It’s worth noting that Google is apparently working on this feature right now, and it’s still in development. That being said, there’s no telling how long it will be before it gets rolled out to users.

Android Auto climate controls let you adjust temperatures for both sides of the car

If you’re going to have climate controls, you want the ability to adjust the climate for all parts of the car. That is, unless your car doesn’t have individually climate-controlled zones. Most modern vehicles do have this, though. With that in mind, it appears as if the climate controls in the new UI allow for adjusting all of the areas of the car. There are controls on the left and right sides of the UI, suggesting that Google is making sure users can control the left and right sides of the vehicle’s AC and heating.

There are also buttons for “front” and “rear,” which are probably designed to control the front and back zones of the temperature specifically. You’ll also find two little fan icon buttons, one on the left and one on the right. These appear to let you adjust the fan speed of the AC. Additionally, it looks like there’s a button for heated seats as well.

These likely won’t be supported in all vehicles

Obviously, this refers to all vehicles that have Android Auto support. Not all cars with Android Auto will have heated seats, for example. And some may not have left and right zones for the climate control. So it would stand to reason that not every button is going to work in every single vehicle. It’s also entirely possible that Google doesn’t push this feature out at all.

Since it’s still in development, Google likely has a lot of testing left to do before it’s even ready for external testing with users. If it gets to that point, that may also be a long way off. For now, you’ll have to switch back to your car’s head unit OS to control the AC and heating, unless your car has physical controls for this on the dash, and some do. While it’s possible Google might never launch this feature, one feature it’s bringing to Android Auto for sure is Gemini.

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