Google Built A Dashcam App For Cars With Android Automotive – Not For Android Auto

Dashcams are an inexpensive and important means of protection for your car in the case of an accident, as they can prove the cause of damage in many cases. That’s why the idea of a dashcam app for Android Auto is so appealing, but while Google built such an app for Android Automotive, there’s no sign of it coming to the phone-based platform.

An “Integrate Dashcam” page on Google’s website for Android developers was surfaced by Android Authority last week, with the page detailing a “dashcam app” built for Android Automotive. The app, Google explains, would allow vehicles with Android Automotive (AAOS) to offer this functionality to drivers.

The Dashcam app is designed to integrate with AAOS, providing drivers with video recording capabilities for enhanced safety and security. This guide outlines the technical requirements, integration steps, and best practices to ensure a successful implementation.

The app isn’t available for download, but Google’s guide details the recommendations for how an automaker should implement the functionality. The report which first surfaced this app also rightly points out that one reason why this app doesn’t appear to be in use is due to various technical and legal concerns that would come from building this functionality directly into the vehicle itself.

Importantly, though, this dashcam app has absolutely nothing to do with Android Auto.

In the days since this app first surfaced, we’ve noticed other publications irresponsibly running articles that Google made a dashcam app “for Android Auto” and that an “Android Auto update” adds support for a dashcam.

In no way, shape, or form has Google said this, nor has any reporting on the topic suggested may be the case.

Rather, these articles are effectively spreading misinformation, taking advantage of Google’s messy branding of these platforms to garner additional attention. While Google briefly called both of these platforms “Android Auto,” this has not been the case for years, with the native OS currently being referred to as “Android Automotive,” “AAOS,” or “Google built-in.”