NEW YORK, April 24 — Google has now added your full list of contacts to Android Auto — but there’s a catch.
Android Auto, the app that turns a recently purchased car dashboard into a simple and familiar interface, is slowly growing its list of features. This time it’s gifting its users with yet another way to call someone from their address book: by manually scrolling through their contact list.
While it may sound like a feature that should have already existed, Google could have limited its browsing options to keep driver’s eyes on the road. Before this update, Android Auto users had three ways of making phone calls.
“OK Google, call Mum.” Straightforward and effective, voice assistance is probably the safest way to multitask while behind the wheel. Then there’s the option to select numbers from a list of favourites, or recently placed, received or missed calls. Lastly, manually dialling the number.
By clicking on the hamburger menu in the top-left corner, a new option called “Contacts” appears, where users can scroll down to view their full address book, just like on a smartphone. Sound dangerous? Not to worry — Google has only given unrestricted browsing access while the vehicle is stopped. When in motion, only a few taps will be possible, hopefully ensuring that the driver isn’t distracted for very long.
