You can find millions of apps and games for your Android phone on the Google Play Store. But that’s not the case with Android Auto, where Google only allows for a select category of apps. At I/O 2025, the company announced that it is expanding this list and opening the gates for developers to submit apps in two new categories: browser and video apps.
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Android Auto currently accepts apps in the media, navigation, IoT, and point-of-interest categories. With Android Auto 14.1 in late March, Google also rolled out support for games, like Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga, albeit in beta. Similarly, support for messaging and VoIP apps is also present, but in beta.
At I/O 2025, Google announced improvements to both these beta categories, enabling developers to build richer Android Auto apps. For communication apps, this includes a new API to show the full message history, upcoming meetings, and more.
Later this year, Google will further expand Android Auto’s compatible app categories to include browser and video apps (via 9to5Google). Video playback, however, will only work on phones running Android 16 and in “select compatible cars.” For safety reasons, it’s all but certain that video apps will require the car to remain stationary and parked.
These new categories are currently in beta, so developers can build and publish apps for internal and closed testing.
Android Auto opens the gates for weather apps
Additionally, the Weather app category is graduating from beta. So, developers are now free to publish weather apps for both Android Auto and cars with Google built-in.
Some weather apps were already available for Android Auto on the Play Store, but the list was relatively small and required Google’s explicit approval. With the category now leaving beta, expect more weather apps for Android Auto to show up for download in the next few months.
Quick Share will land on cars with Google built-in later this year, enabling easy content sharing from the phone to the car. For a seamless sign-in experience, Google plans to expand passkeys and credential manager APIs to these vehicles. Plus, the company is working with car manufacturers to enable video apps to play only audio while the vehicle is in motion.
