5 settings in Android Auto that you want to adjust right away

Maybe you have a car that works with Android Auto for the first time, or you just want to get even more out of the interface. Then check out these five Android Auto settings that definitely deserve your attention.

1. Manage notifications

If you’re setting up Android Auto on a phone for the first time, it’s pretty quick with no room to personalize the experience. Fortunately, you can do that afterwards, because, for example, the way notifications work should depend entirely on your preferences.

By default, Android Auto shows notifications for the most popular messaging apps: from Google Messages to WhatsApp and Telegram. That works with a notification sound by default, and they appear for both regular conversations and group conversations. The content is not shown by default, but you can change that in the settings. In addition, you can always have messages read aloud by the Google Assistant, or you can mute them so that you are not disturbed for the rest of the ride. Here’s how you can change the behavior of notifications:

• Open the Settings on your phone and enter Android Auto from the search bar
• Tap on Android Auto in the results
• Scroll down to notifications
• You will see the following options that you can enable or disable: Show first line of conversations, Show notifications of conversations, Show notifications of group conversations and Play ringtone for call

2. Disable apps

Once you view all your apps in Android Auto, the app drawer can seem a bit overwhelming at first glance. All apps on your phone that have an Android Auto equivalent are automatically copied.

Still, chances are you won’t be using many of these apps. Take the games from GameSnacks, Google Play Books or YouTube Music. Those are apps that aren’t important to everyone. Here’s how you can hide them, so you get a better overview:

• Open the Settings on your phone and enter Android Auto from the search bar
• Tap on Android Auto in the results
• Choose under General in front of Customize launcher
• Uncheck the apps you don’t use

3. Choose your favorite music app

The Google Assistant is actually more important on Android Auto than on your phone. For example, on your phone you can play any song you want in Spotify or YouTube Music, but those possibilities are rather limited in the Android Auto apps of the relevant music services.

So it is better to ask the Assistant to play a specific song. To do this, press the Assistant icon, and then say, for example, “Play ‘Everlong’ from Foo Fighters”, and your music app will immediately open. But that only works so smoothly if you have set up a favorite music app. That’s how you do that:

• Open the Settings on your phone and enter Android Auto from the search bar
• Tap on Android Auto in the results
• Choose Google Assistant
• Press Music
• Choose your favorite app from the list

4. Google Assistant Actions

This is a useful feature that is still little known to Android Auto users. It is possible to make out-of-the-box commands for the Assistant work using a shortcut. You preset such an Assistant action, and then it appears in your list of apps.

Then the action works at the push of a button, without having to say a command. Have you left for work and are the lights still on? You can turn them off at the push of a button. That simple tap is then equivalent to the command “Turn off all lights”. Assistant actions are particularly useful for those who have smart home devices, but of course there are other uses. To set up Assistant actions:

• Open the Settings on your phone and enter Android Auto from the search bar
• Tap on Android Auto in the results
• Choose under General in front of Customize launcher
• Press Add Shortcuts to the Launcher
• Set the command with the wording as if you were pronouncing it
• Give the action a name for in the appdrawer
• Choose Create shortcut

5. Automatically start music

This standard feature is certainly not for everyone. When you open Android Auto, it automatically starts playing the music you last listened to, but that is certainly not always desired. For example, you don’t want your boss being treated to your favorite death metal group when you give him or her a lift to work. We explain how you can disable automatic music playback:

• Open the Settings on your phone and enter Android Auto from the search bar
• Tap on Android Auto in the results
• put under General the function Start music automatically from

Earlier we also discussed how to take screenshots in Android Auto, and these are our favorite apps for vacation. Are there any settings that you immediately adjusted in Android Auto? Let us know in the comments.

The most popular articles about cars