Apple may have abandoned its electric car project, but the company is still a major player in the automotive space.
Watch any recent vehicle ad or review, and one of the first and most consistent things you’ll see mentioned is whether it supports CarPlay.
Google’s Android Auto is in the mix too, but oftentimes it feels like an afterthought, seemingly considered subpar to Apple’s offering — and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
For many drivers, Android Auto might be the better option.
Google Maps is just better, but the gap is narrowing
Alphabet’s trusty navigator is still king of the open road
Google launched its mapping software in 2005, and Apple Maps didn’t go public until seven years later, in 2012.
The two are more comparable today than they were 13 years ago, but I don’t think anyone would disagree that Google still holds a solid lead in this department.
Google Maps is available on more platforms, including Apple CarPlay, and it also offers a wider range of features, including excellent options for finding things to do in your area.
However, Apple Maps has improved in recent years. Some say Apple Maps is now better than Google Maps when it comes to pure navigation.
Accuracy and reliability can be subjective depending on your location, but Google Maps has more geographic data to pull from.
Google had nearly a decade’s head start on Apple in collecting mapping data. Google also collects data from its search engine and business data, plus the ad and tracking data it pulls from users.
This helps Google Maps excel at calculating route times and providing real-time traffic (for roads or restaurants) information.
It’s not hard to see why having it as the native mapping software works in favor of Android Auto.
Gemini runs circles around Siri
Apple’s commitment to privacy keeps its assistant in the dark
Unlike Maps, Apple had a head start in the digital assistant space, launching Siri in 2011 — five years before Google Assistant came out — but its commitment to user privacy, early stumbles in cloud computing, and a lack of commitment to improvements stifled its development.
Now, with its advanced Gemini AI, Google has opened the gap further with its rollout of Gemini to Android Auto.
I don’t think many users would disagree on an outcome when it comes to Siri versus Gemini.
The latter is objectively better, thanks to more accurate and efficient language processing, better support for third-party apps, and a more conversational tone.
The broad third-party app support can make a difference when in a moving vehicle, where most of your interactions with the system are done through voice commands.
The same goes for Gemini’s built-in AI functionality, which can summarize long text messages, so you spend less time listening to (or worse, reading) messages and more time focusing on the road.
It can also handle complex requests, like asking it for a visitor’s guide to your destination.
The bottom line is that if you are judging which one has the better and more capable voice assistant, you have to give it to Android Auto.
Notifications are more useful
I want to be able to read my texts (when it’s safe to do so)
This one can be considered a win or a loss for Apple, depending on your thoughts regarding distracted driving.
The CarPlay experience is streamlined and designed to divert the driver’s attention as little as possible.
Everything runs through Siri, including reading and writing text messages. You also don’t get interactive notifications that require you to tap for quick actions like phone calls or messages.
Kudos to Apple for thinking of safety first.
Still, you could argue that being able to glance at a text message, or tap a message alert for a quick response or phone call, might be safer than fumbling with a voice assistant — especially since we’ve already established that Siri isn’t winning any awards for accuracy or efficiency.
While it’s easy to argue this is a point in Apple’s favor, not Google’s, Android Auto is the clear winner for overall notification usefulness.
Better third-party app support
He who has the most apps commands the dashboard
Like with Gemini, Android Auto benefits from (much) better third-party app support.
I couldn’t find exact current numbers to show the contrast, and the App Store and the Google Play Store are awful at rounding these up for you.
However, my understanding is that Android Auto supports several thousand third-party applications, while CarPlay app support is still well below the 1,000 mark.
This can change at any moment, and app support issues will vary depending on your needs.
If you have a more niche or obscure app you’d like to use in your car, Android Auto is more likely to support it.
And it doesn’t need to be an obscure app.
Facebook Messenger works great with Android Auto, and CarPlay still doesn’t support it because of Apple’s strict rules about distractions.
Hope your group chats are in a different app, because you won’t find them here.
Android Auto will warn you when you’re speeding
Seriously starting to think Apple wants me to get speeding tickets
One of my favorite features on CarPlay is that it tells you the current speed limit of the road you are on while you are driving.
It’s great for when you’re on a long road trip, or traveling to an unfamiliar area, and you get the feeling that you are going faster than everyone, and there isn’t a speed limit sign in sight.
With a quick glance at your screen, you can adjust your speed accordingly.
However, Android Auto takes things a step further by showing you how fast you are going, and it can alert you when you are speeding.
There are a few asterisks here.
For one, this feature isn’t always available in Auto. You have to be navigating somewhere, either in Split Screen mode or in a third-party app like Waze, and functionality can vary depending on your phone’s Android version and your car’s model.
Despite rumors that we might see this feature roll out to Apple Maps on CarPlay in 2025, it hasn’t shown up, leading us to assume it never will. This is still a big win for Android Auto.
Does this mean Android Auto is the better automotive platform?
It depends on the user. That may sound like a cliché or a cop-out, but it’s the only correct answer.
Android Auto and CarPlay are close enough in features and experience that I don’t think either is worth switching mobile ecosystems for.
The real takeaway is that, while Apple is winning the marketing and mindshare game in this space, Android Auto is the better system in a few key areas.
If you and friends are planning a road trip, you might want to put the Android user in charge of in-car navigation.
