What you need to know
- Android Auto appears to have started to pick up support for quick replies.
- The new feature provides contextual reply suggestions to messages, powered by Google Assistant.
- Quick replies were first shown off in December.
Google has finally started to roll out a handy Android Auto feature for your car after announcing it late last year, allowing you to quickly respond to messages with one-tap reply suggestions.
Android Auto’s Smart Reply feature is now live for a number of users, particularly those who have updated to the latest beta version of the app (v7.6.1215), per 9to5Google. These quick replies will appear in the form of an emoji or a short phrase when you tap on a message notification and have Google Assistant read it aloud.
If you feel that a suggested response matches the message you want to send, you can simply tap on it. The response will then be sent via your default messaging app.
Otherwise, you can tap the “Custom Reply” button above the suggestions if you need to create a different response than what Google suggests. It will then lead you back to the old method of dictating your message to Assistant.
The experience is very similar to Google Messages on Android, in that it suggests responses based on the context of the message you receive.
The feature was teased in December as part of a massive announcement about a slew of new Android features, including the rollout of Family Bell to Android phones. This feature was previously available only on Google’s smart home devices.
While quick replies may have taken some time to arrive, they help to reduce distraction when you need to get back to someone while driving. However, Android Police pointed out that the suggested responses can be illogical at times and not exactly what you want to use.
