Google is phasing out Automotive Assistant mode

Google is phasing out Automotive Assistant mode, but apparently keeping Google Maps.

According to 9to5Google, after announcing it during the I/O 2019 conference, teasers in 2020, and an official launch last year, Google is ending its Automotive Assistant mode. This feature has made it easier for users to use Android Auto on their smartphone while driving and is an effective alternative to the Android Auto app for smartphones that disappeared last year.

Google is phasing out Automotive Assistant mode

Assistant Car Mode shows a home screen with Google Assistant at the top, a music player and volume controls just below, and buttons to make a call or send a message. This mode can be displayed in the Assistant by saying “OK Google, start Automotive Mode”or by pinning it to the home screen.

but obviously saves the Google Maps map

If you’re confusing Assistant’s car mode with Google Maps’ car mode feature, it’s completely understandable. Instead of launching it from Assistant or the home screen, the Google Maps version is activated via the four-dot menu icon at the bottom right of the screen when navigation is launched. When opened, it displays large icons for calls, messages, and multimedia applications that are easy to see and access while driving. Oddly enough, when you first launch this mode in Maps, it prompts you to pin another automotive mode to the home screen.

Google is shutting down Assistant’s car mode because the giant noticed that most people are using the Maps version, as 9to5Google explained. However, many of them may not be aware of the existence of the Assistant version due to this naming confusion and the great similarity between the applications. Perhaps Google should have cleared the gap between navigation and entertainment for those who don’t have Android Auto in their car, it would all be a lot less worrisome.