Android Auto might finally get a major facelift

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Google has been rumored to release a new update for Android Auto for almost six months at this point. Back in September, portions of the new “Coolwalk” Android Auto interface were revealed. Now, we have a closer look at some of the potential design changes that are coming.

Thanks to a deep dive into the coding of the app from the Italian publication AndroidWorld, we got a few good screenshots of Android Auto’s potential design change.

One of the first things to pop out in the Coolwalk redesign is the missing status bar up top. That bar would show things like battery life and cell signal. But all of that information is now condensed on the right side of the navigation bar along the bottom of the screen.

Google also abandoned the dedicated button that brought up the side panel. That function now resides in the home button. Long pressing the home button will bring up those side widgets.

Interestingly enough, the publication also found evidence of a “casting” option within the app. AndroidWorld says the app is non-functional as of right now and it’s unclear exactly what it will be used for. Speculation says that it could possibly be used to mirror Android Auto to a secondary screen in a vehicle.

Lastly, the upcoming Android Auto Coolwalk overhaul includes a way to respond to missed calls with a text message. Users will be able to send a quick text message response to a caller whenever they can’t answer the phone.

Of course, the Coolwalk redesign has yet to be released to the public. It’s unclear exactly when this redesign will be made available. In fact, there’s no guarantee that any of these features will be coming to Android Auto at all. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see until the Coolwalk redesign is finalized for the public.

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