While we really shouldn’t use our smartphones while driving, there’s a high chance that many of us have done so anyway. For Google, as the steward of the largest mobile operating system, that conundrum has resulted in the Android Auto app which toggles a larger and more tactile launcher for use when on the road – but now, the Mountain View company may be preparing to make good on a promise made in 2019 with the wide release of a new Driving Mode for the Google Assistant.
Driving Mode gives users the ability to toggle specific functions and set large app shortcuts of their own preference when connected to their own vehicle. For example, users can set their Assistant to get proactive messages to relay notifications while driving, silence all incoming calls, and naturally use the Assistant to control media playback.
While those interactions may be limited to spoken responses, Assistant’s driving mode also offers tactile app shortcuts similar to the Android Auto app, through which users can set their favourite apps to launch.
Notably, Google first offered in 2019 that the mode would be triggered by a command saying “Hey Google, let’s drive”, though that doesn’t appear to be the case any longer.
Users looking to enjoy Driving Mode can check whether their device now supports the functions by heading to Google Maps, hitting Settings, and then going to Google Assistant Settings. If the service hasn’t yet been enabled, users will be presented with the normal Google Assistant options menu.
Notably, the service isn’t expected to replace Android Auto, which will live on aboard multimedia displays in compatible vehicles.
What are your thoughts? Would you actively use Google Assistant’s new Driving Mode? Or would you prefer to use Android Auto through either the Android app or via a touchscreen display? Let us know in the comments below.
