5 reasons why Android Auto is better than Apple CarPlay

Abstract

• Google Maps dominates geographic data and navigation accuracy, making it the best choice for Android Auto users.
• Google Assistant surpasses Siri with its efficient language processing and support for third-party apps, enhancing the Android Auto experience.
• Android Auto offers more useful notifications and better support for third-party apps compared to CarPlay, making it a strong contender in the automotive space.

Apple may have given up on its electric car project, but the company is still a major player in the automotive space. Look at any recent ad or vehicle review and one of the first and most consistent things you’ll see is whether or not it supports CarPlay. Google’s Android Auto platform is also in the mix, but it often feels like an afterthought, seemingly seen as inferior to Apple’s offering – and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, for many drivers, Android Auto might be a better option.

1 Google Maps is simply better

Alphabet’s trusty navigator is still the king of the open road

This reason does not need to be explained too much. Google launched their mapping software back in 2005 and Apple Maps didn’t go public until 7 years later in 2012. Obviously there is much more parity between the two today than there was 10 years ago, but I don’t think anyone I wouldn’t disagree that Google still has a leading role in this department. Not only is Google Maps available on multiple platforms, including Apple’s CarPlay, but it also has a wider range of features and provides more accurate and reliable navigation data.

Obviously, accuracy and reliability can be subjective depending on your location, but objectively, Google Maps just has more geographic data to pull from. Google has had a nearly decade-long lead over Apple in collecting mapping data, plus all of its search engine/business data and all of the ad/tracking data it collects from users. This helps Google Maps excel in areas like calculating route times and providing real-time traffic information (for roads or restaurants), and it’s not hard to see why being native mapping software works in Android Auto’s favor.

2 Google Assistant is running circles around Siri

Apple’s commitment to privacy keeps its assistant in the dark

Unlike Maps, Apple actually had a head start in the digital assistant space, launching Siri in 2011 — a full 5 years before Google Assistant arrived — but its commitment to user privacy, early entanglements in cloud computing, and lack of commitment to improvement have really stifled its development. Again, I don’t think many users would disagree that when it comes to Siri versus Google Assistant, the latter is objectively better thanks to more accurate and efficient language processing and better support for third-party apps.

Wider support for third-party apps can make a big difference when you’re in a moving vehicle, where most of your interactions with the system are done through voice commands. The same can be said for the built-in AI function in Google Assistant, which can do things like condense longer text messages for you, so you can spend less time listening to (or worse, reading) messages and more time focusing on the road. The bottom line is that if you’re judging who has the better and more capable voice assistant, you have to give it to Android Auto.

3 Notifications are more useful

I want to be able to read my texts (when it’s safe)

This could be considered a win or a loss for Apple, depending on your thoughts on distracted driving. The CarPlay experience is very simplified and aimed at minimizing driver distraction. Everything is done through Siri, including reading and writing text messages, and you don’t get interactive notifications of any kind to let you tap for quick actions like phone calls or messages.

Kudos to Apple for thinking security first, but you could certainly make the argument that taking a quick glance at a text message or tapping a message alert for a quick reply or phone call might actually be safer than messing around with the voice assistant — especially since we’re already found that Siri isn’t winning any awards for accuracy or efficiency. Again, while it’s easy to argue that this is a point in Apple’s favor over Google’s, for the overall usefulness of notifications, Android Auto is the clear winner.

4 Better support for third-party applications

Whoever has the most apps controls the dashboard

Just like Google Assistant, Android Auto as a whole uses (much) better support for third-party apps. I haven’t been able to find exact current numbers to really show the contrast, and the App Store and Google Play Store do a terrible job of rounding them up for you, but I understand Android Auto supports several thousand third-party apps , and CarPlay app support is still well below the figure of a thousand.

This is obviously subject to change at literally any time, and app support issues will really vary depending on your individual needs, but on a macro level, if you have a niche or more obscure app you want to use in your car, the odds are simply better that it will Auto support. It doesn’t even have to be an obscure app — Facebook Messenger works great with Android Auto, but CarPlay still doesn’t support it. Hopefully your group chats are in another app because you won’t find them here.

5 Android Auto will warn you when you’re driving too fast

I’m seriously starting to think about Apple wants to get speeding tickets

One of my favorite little features on CarPlay is that it tells you the current speed limit on whatever road you’re on while you’re driving. It’s great when you’re on a long road trip or traveling in an unfamiliar area and you feel like you’re going faster than everyone else and there’s no speed limit sign in sight. A quick glance at the screen and you can adjust your speed accordingly. But of course, Android Auto goes a step further by showing you how fast you’re going, and can even warn you when you’re speeding.

There are a few stars here. First off, this feature isn’t always available on Auto. You have to navigate somewhere, either in Split Screen mode or in a third-party app like Waze, and functionality may vary depending on the version of Android on your phone and the model of your car. It’s also worth noting that while CarPlay can’t currently do this, this is one of the features rumored to debut in the next iteration of the platform, later this year. With all that said, we’re still labeling this with the letter “W” for Android Auto.

Does this mean Android Auto is a better automotive platform?

It really depends on the user. That may sound like a cliché or a throwaway, but it’s really the only correct answer here. Android Auto and CarPlay are close enough in features and experience that I don’t think it would be worth switching mobile ecosystems for both. The real takeaway from this should be that while one could certainly argue that Apple is winning the marketing and opinion-sharing game in this space, Android Auto is clearly the better system in at least a few key areas. And if you and some friends are planning a road trip this summer, maybe you should hire an Android user to navigate your car.