I’ve been driving a Chevrolet Equinox 2025 SUV rental automobile for the previous week, and it’s jogged my memory precisely what my subsequent automobile wants. It runs Android Automotive, which I’ve already determined is a requirement in my subsequent automobile, however the extra handy function is arguably how Chevrolet has approached its CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
CarPlay and Android Auto supply immense advantages and nearly no pitfalls to drivers. They’re designed to convey your cellphone and its apps into your automobile, and make it simpler to entry up-to-date maps and visitors knowledge with out counting on often-archaic options carried out by your carmaker.
But, these two platforms have a couple of key pitfalls, and Chevrolet has taken an strategy that only some different carmakers have taken to unravel them. My subsequent automobile will need to have this CarPlay and Android Auto function, right here’s why.
How Android Auto and CarPlay work in most automobiles
Most automobile makers undertake Apple CarPlay or Android Auto by routing the customized interface to the automobile’s predominant show. That is essentially the most logical, because it means the automobile’s show, often bigger than anything you’ll have on you, turns into the focus of your driving expertise. Nonetheless, it additionally means you need to look away for navigation instructions.
Then there are corporations like Mercedes and BMW, the latter being the primary to convey your most well-liked mapping answer nearer to your line of sight. Chevrolet follows this strategy, however as an alternative of your maps showing in a Heads-up Show (HUD), they seem in a secondary show often housed in your dashboard.
A whole bunch, if not hundreds, of automobiles assist Android Auto and CarPlay within the middle console show, however far, far fewer assist it within the gauge show, the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, or the HUD. That is the place it is smart: after driving 500 miles, it’s far much less distracting to look down for a cut up second, which you’ll be doing anyway to examine your pace, than to look sideways at a large show.
The various sorts of twin show CarPlay and Android Auto
Android Auto doesn’t natively assist a twin show output, so carmakers should construct it themselves. This may very well be why so few automobiles assist this function. Whereas giant shows are commonplace within the middle console, it’s far rarer for a carmaker to incorporate a secondary show behind the steering wheel or a Heads-up Show.
For people who do, the Android Auto and CarPlay integration is diversified. Most supply some type of integration between that show and the mapping answer you’re utilizing in your cellphone, permitting you to see upcoming turn-by-turn steerage (often together with distance to the flip), instructions, and even a mini-map.
There are fairly a couple of automobiles that assist one of these integration, starting from BMW, which was the earliest, to Polestar, VW Group (together with Audi), Mercedes, and Volvo. Not each mannequin options one of these integration, and the expertise can fluctuate wildly. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered the perfect dual-display Android Auto or CarPlay integration implementation.
Why Chevrolet has my favourite implementation
I’ve pushed all kinds of automobiles and seen a whole lot of completely different Android Auto and CarPlay implementations to identify a very good one after I expertise it. I’ve pushed the Chevy Equinox 2025 SUV for the previous week and realized that Chevrolet has my favourite implementation for a couple of causes.
One among these is that your entire instrument cluster is digital. This may be irritating if you’re used to fidgeting with buttons to vary journey info or what’s displayed on a partial show, but it surely signifies that the carmaker can construct a much more immersive expertise.
The digital strategy signifies that CarPlay and Android Auto maps may be routed to take over virtually your entire show. As a substitute of a small window that exhibits turn-by-turn steerage, this provides you the entire map on this show and means you largely don’t want to show your head to the primary show. Besides, there’s one downside: this second show gained’t present you issues like ETA or distance.
The extra fascinating half is that there are a number of implementations. As you press a button on the steering wheel to cycle by completely different shows, you may select from your entire map view or a smaller window to the aspect with turn-by-turn steerage. When navigating, I discover it’s virtually all the time simpler to make use of the complete map, however the small window is beneficial to regulate the gauges.
Nonetheless, essentially the most fascinating half is how Chevrolet has integrated mapping options into this show. As Android Automotive powers the automobile, you get Google Maps with stay visitors natively built-in into the automobile’s OS. You then even have whichever mapping answer you utilize in your cellphone. Apparently, Chevrolet has ensured you may select both, because it shows each in a full-screen map view as you cycle by the completely different screens.
Total, that is my favourite implementation of a dual-screen show with CarPlay or Android Auto to this point, and I hope different carmakers observe swimsuit.
