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Google Adds AppCards to Android Automotive for Smarter In-Car Info

Automotive

Business Honor
19 June, 2025

AppCards bring useful third-party app info to Android Automotive home screens for safer driving.

Google's Android Automotive OS, which powers the infotainment panels in many contemporary cars, is getting a new feature called AppCard. By making it simpler for drivers to swiftly examine important information from applications without opening them this new feature aims to lessen distraction and help them focus on the road.

AppCards will appear right on the car’s home screen and can display key app info like the status of a food order crypto price updates or even photos for passengers. These cards act like widgets showing a small set of useful information and can include images, buttons or progress bars. For example, a delivery app might show that your food is on the way and let you tap for more details.

What’s different about AppCards is that car makers control the look and feel, not the app developers. This confirms a consistent and clean user interface that fits each car's design. Developers provide the content, while the car’s system handles how it looks. So far, only built-in cards like Google Maps and music players could show on the home screen. With AppCards, third-party apps finally get a spot too. It’s not yet confirmed if AppCards will require the latest version of Android Automotive.

However, because the feature is part of “unbundled apps” which can be updated independently of the OS it might also work on older systems if supported by the car manufacturer. This feature could motivate more developers to create or improve their in-car apps. For drivers, it means getting useful updates with just a glance a welcome change for a smoother, safer driving experience with improved security.