C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR A future update to Android Auto will allow users to swipe and cycle through multiple media cards on the dashboard.
The new feature will eliminate the need to reopen previously used music or audio apps when switching.
This multi-card interface would streamline use for people who frequently toggle between different audio sources.
Android Auto is currently in a good state of utility, but that’s no reason to slack off. Google has been working on several new features for the platform, including the recently announced Call screening and Call Notes functionality, as well as the upcoming home screen widgets. There’s more on the way, too. With Android Auto v15.6.154404 beta, we’ve identified code that suggests Android Auto may soon make it easier to switch between different music apps.
Currently, Android Auto displays a music card on the dashboard whenever music is playing in any music app. For instance, say your music app of choice is Spotify, and you begin playing music on Android Auto. You can control Spotify music through this music card, but if you want to access a different music app, such as YouTube Music, you will need to open YouTube Music and play something. When you do so, the Spotify music card on the dashboard will be replaced by the YouTube Music music card.
Continuing the above example, if a user then wants to swap back to Spotify, they will once again have to open Spotify to get a Spotify music card on the dashboard, which will predictably replace the YouTube Music music card on the dashboard.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
Here’s a demo of the current music card behavior on Android Auto:
With an upcoming update, Android Auto will gain the ability to display multiple music cards, allowing users to swipe and cycle through them. This will finally allow users to switch between music apps without requiring them to reopen the previous one if they had swapped out of it.
Here’s a demo of the upcoming feature in action:
This change will be beneficial for individuals who are invested in multiple audio apps, not just music streaming apps. For instance, if you like to listen to music on some parts of your journey but would prefer an audiobook or podcast for others, this change will let you easily swap between the two apps by eliminating a lot of unnecessary fiddling around.
This change is not currently live in Android Auto. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Follow