GameSnacks has gone missing from Android Auto for some drivers.
It's unclear whether removal of the app is deliberate, or if it's only part of the beta.
Android Auto users have been reporting that one of the popular apps in their car interface has gone missing, but it might not be as simple as it first appears. The app that's vanished is GameSnacks.
Just the notion of GameSnacks being removed from Android Auto is enough to send shockwaves through the community of users. The collection of HTML 5 mini-games has been available since 2021 and is a stable of the in-car system, letting users while away their time while sitting in the car waiting.
But 9to5Google reports that some users have found GameSnacks missing. The app was absent from the launcher in Android Auto 15.2 beta, but was still lurking in the settings, so something is definitely amiss there.
What's not clear at the moment is whether the removal of GameSnacks is a deliberate move or some quirk of the beta software, because the users reporting it don't always state whether they are on the beta or not.
A removal of GameSnacks would certainly be a blow, but it would also be uncharacteristic for Android Auto when the message recently has been about increasing the entertainment options on offer. There have been plans to better compete with the likes of Tesla, and to acknowledge that more people are now sitting in vehicles waiting for them to charge than ever before.
It could be that Google is about to make a bigger push into entertainment apps and removing GameSnacks is a precursor to allowing more games specifically designed for Android Auto.
Real change in Android Auto hasn't been seen for some time and it feels like the feature that we're all waiting for is Gemini. Google Assistant has hung in there on the car app for some time, despite Gemini now being the dominant voice assistant on smartphones and tablets.
Gemini will provide a more natural approach to language, meaning that you can speak more openly with Google and get the result you want. That's what's promised, anyway.
The AI's ability to interpret what you've said and go off at a tangent shouldn't be under estimated – and that might get in the way when driving if you just want to navigate to McDonald's, rather than have a conversation about the fast food chain.
We wait with bated breath to see that comes next – and whether GameSnacks is still on the menu or not.
