Android Auto 8.0 begins rolling out, still no sign of redesign

Google has begun releasing Android Auto version 8.0, but despite the jump in version number, there’s no sign of the highly anticipated redesign.

For the last few months, fans of Android Auto have been anticipating a major redesign of the app’s car screen layout. That excitement reached a fever pitch when Google formally announced the Android Auto redesign — internally referred to as “Coolwalk” — in May.

The biggest change to expect is the introduction of a three-section split screen layout, which makes it easier to quickly change what media is playing or interact with the Google Assistant without hiding your Google Maps navigation from view. More importantly, the Android Auto redesign is set to better adapt to the wide variety of car infotainment screen shapes available today.

This week, Google began the rollout of Android Auto version 8.0, via the Play Store, after just a few days of Beta testing the release. Some had expected Android Auto 8 to coincide with the release of that Coolwalk redesign, but from our early testing that does not appear to be the case as of yet.

It’s plausible that Google could launch the redesign in the coming days/weeks, but the company has so far not shared any specific timeline. That said, our APK Insight team has found that Google is still actively working on the Android Auto redesign, meaning we may still have some waiting to do.

Otherwise, Android Auto 8.0 seems to be a fairly simple and straightforward update, with no major visual changes. With any luck, it’s possible the update could include fixes for some of the issues Android Auto has been facing recently, with the recent 7.8 update being particularly problematic.

More on Android Auto:

• Motorola MA1 wireless Android Auto dongle gets slight price increase
• Waze appears to be struggling with performance issues on Android Auto and CarPlay
• Android Auto updates requirements, now requires a phone running Android 8.0 or higher