Although 2024 has been somewhat difficult for Android Auto due to the large number of ‘bugs’ and problems derived from its accelerated development, it seems that Google has good news to close the year and get off to a good start in 2025. We recently talked about Google It has finally solved one of the big problems with Android Auto, and it is not the only gift it was preparing.
Google also recently released Android Auto 13.4, a new version that adopts the Material You style and colors for menus; and now, it has made a small change that many drivers have been asking for for years: the Android Auto compatibility with weather apps. Indeed, we are finally going to be able to install our favorite app to predict the weather, and the best thing is that they will not have many limitations.
It must be remembered that Android Auto is a very controlled platform, and that not all apps are compatible; In some cases, it’s a simple matter of adapting to the car’s touch screen, but in others, Google just doesn’t allow it. The company has a compatibility program that allows only certain types of apps and only in certain situations, in the name of road safety.
For example, some video apps are already compatible with Android Auto, but only with the car stationary. to avoid distractions on the road. Google maintains several categories of apps for Android Auto, such as navigation, Internet of Things, video games, browsers or instant messaging, and maintains certain restrictions on each one and each app separately.
Now, Mishaal Rahman has discovered that Google has added a new app category for Android Auto: ‘Weather’that is, meteorology apps. That means that Android Auto will finally allow the installation of weather apps that can be used on the car’s touch screen. This will be possible both in cars with Android Automotive, and by connecting the mobile phone to the touch screen using Android Auto; In both cases, the implementation is still in beta state, so it is not accessible to most users.
Of course, Android Auto already has an official weather forecast function, and is compatible with some weather apps that can be installed through Google Play. However, those apps were specifically approved by Google because they were considered safe; By adding a specific category for weather apps, Google opens the doors of the platform to more developers.
Therefore, with this change, drivers will be able to choose their favorite weather app to use in Android Auto, instead of depending on the options officially chosen by Google. That also allows for more possibilities, such as weather apps that update in real time and that show the weather situation at all times depending on our location and configuration; For example, so that the app warns us that we are approaching an area where it is raining or there is a lot of wind.
