People often cite Android Auto's customization features and open ecosystem as its key advantage over Apple's CarPlay, but one area where the in-car platform lags behind its key competition is design. According to the tech giant, it has plans to change that with its upcoming refreshed Android Auto experience.

In a lengthy blog post ahead of I/O 2026, Google says that it's launching a new version of Android Auto that features "personal design touches" and widgets that you can see at a glance and edge-to-edge with Google Maps on your infotainment system display. This confirms months of rumors surrounding widgets coming to the operating system. Google says that widgets allow you to see information at a glance when you're behind the wheel, even while navigating, and that you can add shortcuts to your favorite contacts and smart home features like a smart garage door opener.

Other new features include Android Auto adapting to fit on any car screen, whether it's an ultra-wide rectangle, a circle, or another unique shape. Google Maps is also getting a revamp with a new 3D view that shows buildings, overpasses, and terrain, along with better highlighting key things for drivers, like lanes, traffic lights and stop signs.

Google aims to clean up Android Auto with Material 3 Expressive

New features are also coming to vehicles that support Google Built-in

On the design side, Google says that Android Auto is getting the same clean-looking, modern Material 3 Expressive look it rolled out on Android back in 2025, including more expressive fonts, smoother animations, and wallpapers. I really like Material 3 Expressive on my Pixel 10 Pro, but some of the more niche third-party apps I use still haven't been updated with the new look. It's likely Android Auto will experience similar issues, with core Google apps getting a facelift, and third-party developers slowly updating their apps in the coming weeks and months.

Google is also taking things a step further with new Immersive Navigation features like live land guidance, which uses a vehicle's onboard sensors to analyze the road. However, this update isn't hitting the Android Auto feature and is instead only coming to Google Built-in, the tech giant's in-car OS that runs on select automaker operating systems. Additionally, Gemini features like the ability to identify dashboard lights and whether a TV will fit in your trunk, are coming to vehicles that support Google Built-in.

Google hasn't confirmed when these new Android Auto and Google Built-in features are rolling out, but we'll likely learn more at I/O next week. Google also revealed its new Googlebook laptop and agentic mobile AI platform, Gemini Intelligence.