Android Automotive

Android Automotive (AAOS), marketed as Cars with Google built-in or colloquially just Google built-in, is an open-source operating system designed for use in vehicle dashboards, based on Android. Introduced in March 2017, it was developed by Google and Intel, together with car manufacturers such as Volvo and Audi. The project aims to provide an operating system codebase for vehicle manufacturers to develop their own distribution. Besides infotainment tasks, such as messaging, navigation and music playback, the operating system aims to handle vehicle-specific functions such as controlling the air conditioning. Android Automotive is an open source operating system and, as such, a car manufacturer can use it without the proprietary Google Automotive Services (GAS)—which is a car equivalent to the Google Mobile Services, i.e. a collection of applications and services like Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play—that OEMs can license and integrate into their in-vehicle infotainment systems. In contrast to Android Auto, Android Automotive is a full operating system running on the vehicle's hardware, not relying on a smartphone to operate. As such, it has access to a limited number of apps on the aforementioned Google Play Store. Volvo, Renault, Ford and GM are using AAOS with GAS. In order to communicate with in-vehicle networks (IVI) such as the CAN bus, Android Automotive uses the Vehicle Hardware Abstraction Layer (VHAL), which serves as a bridge between the vehicle's hardware and software components.