We’re not really sure why it took Google this long to have this in the world’s third largest producer of cars, but at least now they have officially announced that Android Auto is finally available in Japan. The platform to bring your Android smartphone features to your car’s entertainment systems has been available in more than 30 countries, and now adding Japan to that list may be significant, given that this is an important market for both Google and the auto industry.
At the press conference in Tokyo, Google also announced that several cars have support for Android Auto immediately. This includes Audi Q7 and A4, the 2016 Honda Accord plus several cars from Maserati and Volkswagen. Navigation units from Nissan and Panasonic will also be carrying support for the platform. Significantly missing from the list are Toyota and Mazda, both of whom have not yet actually gotten behind Android Auto for some reason. Even though it is now available in their home country, the two carmakers seem to not be enticed in having support for Google’s auto platform in their in-car entertainment systems.
Google also highlighted local music streaming service AWA as part of what you can automatically enjoy when running Android Auto in your supported car. However, there is no native support for LINE, the most popular messaging service in Japan, so they would have to settle for having WeChat there, at least for now.
Android Auto lets you connect your smartphone to its entertainment dashboard so you can integrate apps and use them more safely when on the road. You can send messages using voice commands, access such apps like Google Maps and Play Music also by voice operations. In fact, you’ll be using a lot of these voice commands since we want you to keep your hands on the wheel and important car controls at all time.
SOURCE: Google Japan
