Android Auto may soon let you spend less time scrolling, more time driving (APK teardown)
TL;DR Your in-car Android Auto screen could soon display more app columns, making app discovery easier and faster.
We were able to surface up to seven app columns in a layout that previously supported a maximum of five columns.
The number of app columns you see on your Android Auto screen will depend on the size of your in-car display.
Android Auto's app drawer can sometimes seem a bit cramped. Depending on your car's display size, you'll typically see four or five app columns in the app drawer. That means if you've got lots of Android Auto apps installed, finding a specific app would often involve scrolling through multiple pages, which is not ideal when you're trying to focus on the road. It's just natural that the more apps that are displayed at a glance on the screen, the less time you have to spend scrolling to find an app. Looks like Google knows this all too well and is working on a change that will help reduce the hunt for apps on your car screen.
While digging around in the Android Auto app (version 15.0.653204-release), we discovered that Google could soon expand the number of apps you can see at a glance.
Current Android Auto app drawer
Current Android Auto app drawer
With a bit of tinkering, we were able to display an updated grid layout that can display up to seven app columns instead of five, which is the maximum number of app columns that can be viewed on an Android Auto screen right now.
Expanded Android Auto app drawer
Expanded Android Auto app drawer
While the number of columns you see on your Android Auto screen will depend on the size of your in-car display, we were able to surface up to seven columns with quick controls (music and call shortcuts) enabled. So previously, if your Android Auto head unit displayed five columns, it may soon be able to show six or seven columns instead.
The expanded grid seems to work across different Android Auto layout types, though quick controls aren't available everywhere. In one of our tests, a layout that maxed out at five columns without the changes enabled jumped to seven after the hidden settings were turned on.
While there's no word on when or if Google will officially release the expanded Android Auto app grid, the change could make browsing the app drawer faster and less distracting for drivers, especially on larger in-car displays.
⚠️ 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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla watchers warn that major struggle lies ahead for Elon Musk's company: 'Dramatically different'
Tesla continues to set records for all the wrong reasons. What's happening? The company's second-quarter revenue dropped 12% to $22.5 billion, its biggest decline in over 10 years, Forbes reported July 23 via Reuters. Vehicle deliveries slid 13% year over year, marking a second straight new low. Tesla's net income was down 16%, and it lost almost $600 million in regulatory credit sales. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives called it a "dramatically different [scenario] than three months ago" and said investors would look to the company's artificial intelligence initiatives and potential investment in xAI, per Forbes. Why is this important? If the electric vehicle giant continues this trend, it may have to complete the pivot to autonomous services and robotics that CEO Elon Musk has long floated. Characteristically, these musings have not been based in reality. As Forbes noted, he said a Tesla-backed ride-hailing platform would be available to hundreds of millions of Americans by the end of 2025. A limited rollout of Robotaxis in Austin, Texas, however, has produced ignominy due to dangerous and bizarre maneuvers. While no one is being forced into self-driving cabs, the poor performance is seemingly hurting Tesla's brand. Plummeting sales could impede the general public's adoption of EVs, a necessary step in the transition from dirty energy sources. Industries that rely on this power, which pollutes the atmosphere with heat-trapping gases, are driving rising global temperatures. Among the consequences are more frequent and severe extreme weather events that are wreaking havoc on the homeowners insurance market. What's being done about Tesla's slump? As noted, Musk may be using the sales slowdown as an opportunity to transition the company toward other endeavors. Tesla stock is down for the year but has bounced back from nadirs in March and April. While this signals confidence, a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed against Musk and Tesla on Aug. 4 by shareholders who alleged securities fraud, Reuters reported. It's the latest in a line of legal and investigatory obstacles that could make it difficult for the company to fully recover. Do you think a majority of Americans will have EVs in 20 years? Absolutely Only in some states No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CNET
19 minutes ago
- CNET
Made by Google 2025: We Found All the Biggest Pixel 10 Leaks and Rumors
The new Pixel 10 line will debut on Aug. 20 at the Made by Google event, and it almost feels like the phones have been revealed in detail thanks to a multitude of rumors and presumed leaks. Google itself isn't hiding that the Pixel 10 is coming, posting multiple looks of the phone when promoting the upcoming announcement, but the company is still keeping detailed specs and features of the Pixel 10 line to itself. If we follow the series of rumors, though, several recent details suggest a lot of new life to the phone line. While we do expect the Pixel line to continue the overall lineup of the Pixel 9 -- including a base Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold -- rumors are pointing to significant changes to what's inside these phones to make them more feature-packed than ever. We've rounded up the biggest rumors we've found so far about the Pixel 10 line here, and will continue updating as we hear more ahead of the Aug. 20 event. Now Playing: Google Pixel 10 Revealed in Promo, iOS 26 Public Beta to Open, and More | Tech Today 03:16 Pixel 10, 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL's release date, pricing and cameras Starting with the three non-folding phones in the Pixel 10 line that are getting revealed on Aug. 20, we expect the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL to look similar to the Pixel 9 line on the outside. This includes the same rounded camera bar on the back. The entry-level Pixel 10 will get a brand new third rear camera. While we can see the third camera in the photos Google posted of the Pixel 10, according to a chart posted by known leaker Evan Blass, this will be a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera that will join a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. This will help the Pixel 10 compare better with the base Galaxy S25, which also has a telephoto camera. The 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL will continue to be differentiated from the standard Pixel 10 with a higher-specced camera system, which includes a 50-megapixel wide-angle, 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 48-megapixel telephoto, according to the same chart posted by Blass. The colors for the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro phones also appear to have leaked, with Android Headlines reporting that the base Pixel 10 will come in Obsidian, Indigo, Frost and Lemonade editions. These names would roughly correspond to a black, blueish purple, light blue and yellow colors, respectively. The Pro models will also come in four colors, with Android Headlines reporting models named Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone and Jade. Those should roughly match up to black, white, gray and a light green. More photos of these phones were posted by Blass, purporting to be the Pixel 10 lineup from the front, back and side profiles Despite the concerns with tariffs, the Pixel 10 line is rumored to keep the same starting prices as the Pixel 9 line. Pixel 10 line rumored prices Phone Storage US Price Pixel 10 128GB $799 Pixel 10 256GB $899 Pixel 10 Pro 128GB $999 Pixel 10 Pro 256GB $1,099 Pixel 10 Pro 512GB $1,219 Pixel 10 Pro 1TB $1,449 Pixel 10 Pro XL 256GB $1,199 Pixel 10 Pro XL 512GB $1,319 Pixel 10 Pro XL 1TB $1,549 The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra inside of a magnetic case, with a wallet accessory attached. Celso Bulgatti/CNET Pixel 10 could support Qi2 magnetic charging The Pixel 10 series could support magnetic accessories, making it one of the few Android phones that would work with many of the MagSafe accessories that were first built to work with Apple's iPhone. That's because the Pixel 10 is rumored to fully support Qi2 wireless charging, which supports magnetic alignment and has magnets built into the phone without needing a case. An image posted by Blass appears to show a Pixel 10 with a circular wireless charger attached to the back, likely using magnets similar to how MagSafe works with the iPhone. If this is the case, it's a huge step for the Qi2 wireless standard, as the only other Android phone so far that supports magnetic accessories is the HMD Skyline. This would allow the Pixel 10 series to natively work with magnetic phone chargers, wallets, mounts and other accessories. Google might also create its own branding for this feature, as an Android Authority report claims that official Pixel 10 accessories that magnetically attach would be called PixelSnap. If this comes true, it would also make it easier to swap accessories between the iPhone and the Pixel. In addition to the iPhone's support for charging over USB-C, this would mean that MagSafe accessories first purchased to use with an iPhone should work just as well when swapping over to a Pixel 10 phone. The Pixel 9 includes the Tensor G4 processor, and its successor for the Pixel 10 is reportedly made by TSMC. James Martin/CNET Google's Tensor G5 chip Following last year's Tensor G4 chip in the Pixel 9 lineup, we presume that the Pixel 10 phones will be powered by a (supposedly named) Tensor G5 chip. We've heard a few Tensor G5 rumors, including that it will be made on an industry-standard 3nm process by chip fabricator TSMC, according to an Android Authority March report. Other rumors are less promising, like a July report from WCCFTech suggesting that while the Tensor G5 is a significant upgrade on last year's Tensor G4, a leaked benchmark test claims it will run slower than the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that's used in Samsung's Galaxy S25 line and the OnePlus 13. That Qualcomm processor might also soon be surpassed by the next Qualcomm silicon coming at Snapdragon Summit in September. That's not to imply the phone itself will perform slowly, as the same report says it will run faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that powers Whether the Tensor G5 lags behind other mobile chips isn't as worrying as it might seem, since the Tensor chips are built for Google's Pixel devices -- and those don't seem to be underperforming in daily use. As CNET Editor-at-Large Andy Lanxon said about the Tensor G4 powering the Pixel 9 Pro XL, "On the one hand, it's disappointing not to see more of a tangible improvement over the predecessor. On the other hand, it doesn't feel like it's lacking in power in any major way." The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is presumed to have a similar look to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (pictured here), but include the newer processor. James Martin/CNET Pixel 10 Pro Fold There aren't many rumors pointing toward another Pixel Fold, but it's always possible that Google surprises us with a big reveal of another version of its foldable phone line. The most recent, last year's Pixel 9 Pro Fold, not only switched up its nomenclature to fit into that year's standard Pixel lineup, but also altered its design from the wider passport-size original Pixel Fold to a taller, narrower format similar to other foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. One Pixel 10 Pro Fold rumor from WCCFTech only shared details about the supposed Tensor chip powering it. But a recent rumor from Blass suggests we could expect the usual upgrades: a new Tensor G5 chip, perhaps slight spec upgrades and maybe even similar camera or battery upgrades if they are announced for the Pixel 10 lineup. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold would presumably get Android 16 out of the box, but since that software upgrade has already been released early (mere weeks after Google I/O 2025), last year's Pixel 9 Pro Fold already has that update anyway. We'll keep updating this roundup as we get closer to Google's Aug. 20 event for the Pixel 10 series.
Wall Street Journal
19 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
The Recipe Behind the Trump Family's Crypto Riches: PancakeSwap
The Trump family's crypto venture has generated more wealth since the election—some $4.5 billion—than any other part of the president's business empire. A major reason for the success is a partnership with an under-the-radar trading platform quietly administered by Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, whose founder is seeking a pardon from President Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
