Gemini Is Coming To Android Auto Later This Year, With Shorter Responses In Tow

These days, Android Auto feels practically essential in the car. It’s just about the only way to safely interact with your Pixel 9 or Galaxy S25 while driving, especially since the death of Google’s various phone-centric menu layouts. But Android Auto’s far from perfect, especially if you’ve found yourself adopting Gemini in your life throughout the past year-and-change. Finally, after months of requests — including from yours truly — Android Auto is finally getting its big genAI upgrade, and so far, it sounds pretty promising.

With Assistant on the way out the door, Google is getting ready to bring Gemini to both Android Auto and Android Automotive “in the coming months.” That’s not quite the shadow drop some fans might’ve hoped for coming into today’s I/O-specific edition of The Android Show, but it’s good to know that we’re on our way towards an upgraded assistant experience on the road. Google says Gemini will work similarly to Assistant, activated by either a wake word or a shortcut button on your steering wheel, but with the improved language processing you’d expect in an Assistant replacement.

Gemini sounds like a worthy Assistant replacement for your car

Complete with shorter responses

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All of Google’s examples are pretty predictable. You can ask Gemini to find “good taco places” during a road trip, connect with YouTube Music or Spotify for improved music suggestions, or request the app to dig through your Gmail inbox to find an address while driving. You can even send messages in other languages using Gemini’s built-in translation tools, though I have to admit this isn’t a situation I’ve personally found myself in.

Gemini Live is also on the way, with a “let’s talk” activation phrase that will allow you to have a back-and-forth conversation with your virtual assistant. Google’s examples point towards brainstorming before an important meeting at work, which… you could also talk to a human about, but hey, not everyone has a friend or family member willing to bounce ideas off of at 7:30 in the morning. Personally, I’m just excited for a little less rigidity required when I’m prompting my assistant to set reminders, or when I’m looking for a specific album or podcast.

During a pre-brief for journalists held ahead of today’s I/O event, I asked Google’s representatives whether the company had worked to shape Gemini a little more specifically for cars. Gemini has a (bad) habit of delivering long-winded, rambling answers, and while that’s easy enough to mute or leave on your phone, it could be distracting on the road. Google says that, yes, Gemini’s responses will be shorter in cars, tailoring answers to be a little more appropriate considering you’re flying down the highway surrounded by other drivers. In other words, safety is top priority.

I’d still need to try it before I can envision myself asking longer, more thoughtful questions while out on a solo drive — or, especially, before firing up Gemini Live for an in-depth conversation. But, at the very least, it’s good to know Google has these concerns in mind months before Gemini arrives on Auto and vehicles with built-in Google apps.

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