Android Auto now supports Google Meet, meaning voice calls can be joined and placed while driving.
The implementation has a safety-first approach, so the features are limited, with no video, polls, or hand raising.
Android Auto is adding support for Google Meet, meaning drivers will be able to join scheduled voice calls while driving, or place calls to contacts. The feature was previously rolled out to Apple CarPlay.
Google's pace of evolution on Android Auto is often seen as a little slow, as Google looks to focus on the core experiences of navigation, music, calls and messaging, to keep you connected on the way to your destination.
Sticking with the driving focus, Meet on Android Auto won't allow for video calling, presentations or anything else – and at this stage, it doesn't yet support work profiles, according to Android Authority.
That will come as a relief for those spared a corporate meeting because they were on the road. Instead, this update seems to be about advancing Meet as a tool for keeping up with friends and family, with some using it for calling, rather than placing a conventional voice call.
More details on how Google Meet works on Android Auto is covered in the support pages, detailing exactly what you can and can't do.
The timeline for the rollout isn't clear: on checking devices in the UK I didn't have access to Meet, so it's probably a phased rollout as most Android Auto updates are.
While Android Auto has been rather static for a while, we've recently seen wider distribution of Gemini in Android Auto, providing a much fuller experience in the car than the previous Google Assistant.
Thanks to Gemini's conversational abilities, it's possible to have much longer conversations while driving, rather than it just being basic commands. That allowed me, for example, to plan various aspects of a forthcoming road trip, with the whole conversation saved in my Gemini for later access.
While some recently complained that Google Assistant had become unusable, we're likely approaching the point where more people have Gemini than don't, which is for the better in my experience.
The addition of Google Meet in Android Auto brings another Google service into the fold, making the driving experience a little more complete, giving drivers another communication option.
