Toyota will support Android Auto

The Japanese carmaker Toyota has reportedly signed an agreement with Google to support Android Auto in the long term. Bloomberg reports this on the basis of various sources who are said to be familiar with Toyota’s plans.

Toyota may make an official announcement in October about direct support for Android Auto, one of the sources reported. A Toyota spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that Android Auto support is in demand and direct support is being considered, but declined to confirm the rumor. Google declined to comment.

The Japanese carmaker announced at the beginning of this year that it would integrate Apple CarPlay in its cars, but at that time no mention was made of support for Android Auto. The Android system was already usable with, for example, the SmartDeviceLink from Ford, but that has its limitations.

The car alliance of Renault, Mitsubishi and Nissan recently announced that it had reached an agreement with Google. From 2021, Android will be integrated into the infotainment systems of new cars from the three manufacturers, so that Google Maps, Assistant and the Play Store will be built in. This is different from the Android Auto support, which basically shows the information from the driver’s smartphone on a screen in the dashboard.