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Android Auto 9.8 is now out for everyone to download officially, and it was in Beta for a while, unlike its preceding version. Android Auto 9.7 was a deviation from Google’s typical, predictable path for Android Auto updates. Developers and testers run the beta versions for a while and report any major bugs. Google fixes them and delivers a more reliable experience in stable builds.
You get new Android Auto Betas every week or every ten days. The Beta lasts about a week or two, and Google rolls out the update in stages. Launching versions in stages like this ensures users don’t face many bugs.
About two weeks ago, we got the Android Auto 9.7 update with no changes. The changelog didn’t specify anything, either. The new Android Auto 9.8 Beta was out last week. So, it took about seven days in Beta to reach stability. Unlike Android Auto 9.7, Android Auto 9.8 did have an official beta testing phase, so can we expect some changes?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any. This update follows the same Google trend and displays no proper changelog. We can’t tell if anything is new, and we don’t know if Google has worked on any of the previous bugs. As more users receive this update, we’ll find out if there are any minor changes in the UI or bug fixes.
Google’s latest approach with Android Auto is very laid-back. They’re not focusing on major feature additions but on stability. Considering the number of bugs in the past versions, this is a good move from Google. Google mainly focuses on under-the-hood bug fixes and subtle refinements with the newer versions.
As a result, the software should remain stable with no bugs. However, this is always a risky gamble with Android Auto. Updates can always go wrong, and if there are oversights from developers or unprecedented bugs, this version might not work as well as the previous ones. If you already have major bugs on your current version, you can update to see if anything is fixed.
There aren’t any features since Google is trying to polish the Coolwalk UI experience further. A long time in May 2021, Google announced Coolwalk. It’s a major Android Auto redesign that follows a similar design language to Apple’s CarPlay. It brings multitasking improvements, adds a dock, redesigns the media player, and makes Google Maps more extensive in displaying information.
While Coolwalk was supposed to come out in 2022, it was delayed by six months to ensure further stability. The rollout is in phases, so you should get it soon. Updating to this version doesn’t guarantee you’ll get Coolwalk since Google controls that with a server-side switch. Unfortunately, there are many bugs with several users who got Coolwalk.
There were a lot of issues with the interface simply freezing up. Users weren’t able to toggle between apps or use it at all. This is annoying for a navigation assistant. In other cases, the taskbar completely freezes up. Since there are such major bugs, Google is focusing on refinements instead of major features, and this is an optimization-centric update. We hope this update patches things up.
If you didn’t get the update, it might take about a week before it officially rolls out to all devices via the Google Play Store. While there’s nothing worth updating, you can still download an APK from a reliable website and side-load the latest version of Android Auto.
