Google has been integrating Gemini into every app and service it could get its hands on for months now, and Android Auto looks to be next on the list. Considering the company’s plans to retire Google Assistant and replace it with Gemini, this move isn’t exactly unexpected. It seems the wait for Gemini to become a major part of Android Auto is nearly over, bringing with it more natural ways to look up directions and locate destinations.
According to a new APK teardown by 9to5Google, it looks like Android Auto 15.1 has hints of what Gemini will be able to do in the car-focused app. This version of the Gemini app is currently only available in beta, so its unclear exactly when these changes might become available in the official, stable release. Additionally, just because there are signs in the code doesn’t mean Google is anywhere close to ready to enable these features just yet.
Gemini wants access to your car’s location
Based on the code strings that 9to5Google spotted, it appears that Gemini in Android Auto will be able to help in at least two different ways. First, users will be able to use the AI model as a basic travel assistant, asking it to provide directions to reach a destination. Beyond that, users will also be able to share their precise location with Gemini to get more in-depth navigational assistance from the AI.
These settings sound similar to the location settings already found on Android, which you can tweak for each individual app to control the data you share with the apps. Based on how much Google has shown off, it’s very likely we’ll see Gemini launch in Android Auto within the next couple of weeks, especially since Google’s Rick Osterloh teased a fall release for the feature during the most recent Made By Google event.
As always, these kind of teardowns give us a glimpse at what Google is working on, but there is no guarantee that those features will be exactly what we’re seeing right now when they roll out. We’ve seen other teardowns of Google apps which show that Gemini is slowly being improved, and upcoming features could make it a prime replacement for Google Assistant. We also saw code in previous teardowns of Android Auto that showed support for smart glasses support was coming, but we’ve yet to see anything like that make its way to the general public.
