As connected vehicles become the standard, users now expect a "companion device" experience rather than viewing it as a luxury. Drivers anticipate a seamless transition between their smartphones and their infotainment systems, looking for ways to remotely monitor, control, and personalize their driving environment.
You can create these seamless experiences with Automotive OS, enabling the phone to enhance the car's infotainment system through shared data and streamlined controls.
Companion app capabilities
The companion app ecosystem focuses on four pillars designed to make the driving experience more productive, secure, and personalized:
- Trusted device security: Users can unlock their profile by having their phone present, removing the need to manually enter a PIN or pattern every time they start the car. When the car boots into a protected user profile, the phone transmits an "escrow token" that authenticates the lock screen automatically.
- Calendar syncing: This feature allows drivers to access their personal calendars directly from the car's interface. The companion app accesses the phone's calendar database and syncs it to the car's internal calendar provider. To protect privacy, the car's calendar database gets wiped as soon as the phone is no longer present.
- Third-party messaging: Drivers can access and respond to third-party messages while on the road. The companion app listens for notifications on the phone and sends them to the car. These appear as heads-up notifications, and drivers can respond hands-free using the Gemini assistant. Note that support may vary between Android and iOS due to phone-side technical limitations.
- Remote setup: Through remote Google built-in setup, users can begin the onboarding process and configure their preferences before they even step into the vehicle. After a user signs into their Google Account inside the car, all settings configured remotely are automatically synced.
Design guidance
Design guidance for companion apps focuses on extending a user's digital life into the car in a low-distraction, glaceable way. Follow these design principles for companion apps.
1. Optimize for the drive
When a phone is associated with the vehicle, the UI must adapt based on whether the vehicle is parked or in motion.
- Glanceable notifications: Third-party messages should appear as heads-up notifications that don't obscure critical driving information.
- Voice-forward interaction: Encourage drivers to respond to messages using Gemini.
- Minimal interaction depth: Features like calendar sync should prioritize showing immediate schedule needs rather than dense information.
2. Frictionless setup and onboarding
Move complex configuration tasks out of the car and onto the phone.
- Remote configuration: Use remote GAS setup to allow users to sign into accounts and set preferences using their mobile device before they enter the car.
- Visual pairing: Use QR codes for the initial association between the mobile app and the head unit to eliminate the frustration of manual entry.
3. Privacy and trust signaling
Companion apps handle personal data like messages and calendars, so the design must clearly communicate how that data is protected.
- Ephemeral data indicators: For calendar sync, the system should reflect that data is temporary and is wiped when the phone is no longer present.
- Passive authentication: For trusted device features, the transition from the lock screen to the user profile should be seamless, authenticating automatically using an escrow token when the phone is detected.
4. Cross-platform consistency
While technical limitations exist between Android and iOS (particularly regarding how the companion app listens to notifications) the user's mental model should remain consistent.
- Unified UI patterns: Use the provided reference apps to ensure that the setup flow, toggle switches, and permission requests look and feel the same regardless of the user's mobile OS.
To learn about implementation of companion apps, see Sample Companion App Implementation.