Google is in the process of rolling out Android Auto 14.0 to the public. While the update doesn’t include any new features, it suggests a significant change is coming.
As 9to5Google explains, the update hints that Gemini is set to replace Google Assistant in Android Auto. Behind the scenes, there are also image assets for Gemini and Gemini Live.
Gemini, launched on mobile in early 2024, is among the market’s most popular and rapidly growing AI assistants. It assists users in streamlining tasks, studying, refining work, writing emails, and much more.
What can Gemini offer to drivers? Although nothing has been officially confirmed, there are several ways an assistant like Gemini could be helpful, and this starts and ends with Gemini Live.
With Gemini Live, you can have more natural and content-aware voice interactions. As I mentioned months ago, Gemini Live stands out, allowing for a back-and-forth conversation that resembles communication between two humans. And because of its impressive reasoning capabilities, Gemini Live can answer more complex questions.
For example, imagine asking Gemini to “find a restaurant with meatless options, rated over 3.5 stars, and located on my route.” Then, have Gemini Live read the most recent reviews about any restaurant.
Consider how helpful it would be for Gemini Live to inform you about any traffic problems ahead that could impact your drive, including how much extra time those issues might add to your route. While you can already access this information through Google Maps, in this case, the assistant would automatically provide updates about what’s happening on the ground.
With Gemini, the voice assistant has the potential to learn your driving preferences, habits, and past interactions to offer personalized recommendations and assistance. For instance, if it knows you typically get coffee in the morning, it could prompt you to navigate to your usual coffee shop when you enter the car.
Other possible ways Gemini could improve your auto experience are by better managing your in-car entertainment system, helping you plan your work day ahead by drafting task lists and scheduling appointments, and much more.
It will be interesting to see what Google has in store for Gemini on Android Auto and how quickly new features will be added. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about Google’s plans for the car soon.
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.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.