Talks of Google creating a car infotainment operating system have been going around for quite a while. Recent revisions to Android 6.0 Marshmallow's Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) imply that this will become a reality very soon.
According to Android Authority, the latest on the ACDD has made a few new requirements for OEMs making the latest version of Google's mobile operating systems mandatory. In total, the term "Android Automotive" is used 13 times within the document, on occasions referring to a vehicle head unit running Android itself.
Talks have been going around that these statements in the document refer to Android Auto, however, it isn't an operating system. It's a smartphone projection standard.
Android Auto is Google's infotainment application that is run by plugging in a phone running on Android 5.1 or newer (at least when 6.0 comes out) and then selecting Android Auto on the eight-inch center screen. Wired.com gives this application a positive recommendation by stating that it is a 'well-designed' system for use in a car.
But this is not what the latest CDD is referring to as mentioned by analysts. In-vehicle infotainment systems are collections of hardware devices installed around the interiors of a car to provide audio and visual entertainment. Whereas Android Auto is an app that can be plugged into the car's system, a Car Infotainment System will be the system itself.
Arse Technica notes that mentions of "Android Automotive" actually have been present before in Google's older CDD's. The Android 5.1 CDD actually also contained the phrase, but no one noticed it. Google is now working on it's second revision of the automotive requirements. This will give us a sneak peek into whether Android is really planning to venture into automotive infotainment operating systems.
A full Android car OS would take the Android Auto interface to the next level by expanding it to cover everything the car computer needs to do.
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