Android Auto is an excellent platform that helps bridge the gap between a driver’s phone and their car’s control center, and now it’s getting even better.
The latest update for the Android Auto beta adds an exciting amount of customization to the interface’s widgets. Now, instead of the usual fixed layout that users have grown accustomed to, the widgets are interchangeable and able to be customized to best accommodate a driver’s needs.
This means that if a driver wants the navigation menu to be on the right side as opposed to its usual left configuration (as seen in the photo above), they can do that. Similarly, the music player and other widgets can be switched from one side to the other in just a few taps. Overall, the change is absolutely welcome and makes Android Auto an even better resource to rely on while driving.
Changing your Android Auto layout is, luckily, very simple and can be done either on your Android smartphone or the Android Auto display in your car. To change the display configuration on your Android Auto display, select the app screen icon (the nine dots forming a square) in the bottom-left corner. Then, open the Settings app and select Change Layout. In the layout menu, you can select which widgets you want to be closest to the driver, the media widgets or the navigation one.
While the update isn’t anything huge, it’s a frequently requested quality-of-life change that makes the Android experience that much more customizable and accommodating. It’s worth noting that you won’t have the option to customize your widget placements if you aren’t an Android Auto beta tester. Hopefully, the feature will be coming to all Android Auto users soon since it seems like it’s already a very welcome change. If you want to make sure that your device and car get the feature as soon as it becomes publicly available, make sure to have auto-updates turned on.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.