American tech giant Google has confirmed that it will be shutting down its standalone ‘Android Auto for Phone Screens’ app from Android 12 onwards. According to The Verge, instead, anyone who wants a driving-friendly interface for their Android phone should use the Google Assistant driving mode, which is available within Google Maps, or the native Android Auto interface available in select cars. In a statement, Google said, “For those who use the on phone experience (Android Auto mobile app), they will be transitioned to Google Assistant driving mode. Starting with Android 12, Google Assistant driving mode will be the built-in mobile driving experience. We have no further details to share at this time.”
Google has said that the experience won’t be changing for anyone using Android Auto in compatible cars. Google’s confirmation came after a news outlet reported that some users were seeing a message in the ‘Android Auto for Phone Screens’ app that said the service is “now only available for car screens” and pointed phone users towards Google Assistant driving mode as a replacement.
Meanwhile, there are also reports that the ‘Android Auto for Phone Screens’ app now says it’s incompatible with Pixel devices running on Android 12.
Android Auto’s app history is a little bit messy, but this is a move that’s been a long time coming.
FaceTime SharePlay will not be included in initial iOS 15 release
Apple’s upcoming iOS 15 update is packed with a slew of new features. One particular feature that a lot of users are excited about is FaceTime SharePlay, which will essentially let people share content on their screen with anyone they are in conversation with. It’s no surprise that Apple is set to introduce iOS 15 potentially next month. But if you are waiting for Apple’s FaceTime SharePlay feature, you might have to wait a little longer as rumour has it that the feature won’t make it to devices at launch, reported The Verge. Apple will release iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, watchOS 8, and macOS 12 Monterey to the general public next month. While there are a plethora of features to look forward to, FaceTime SharePlay will take its time to be live. Apple will wait a while and then make the feature available with a future iOS 15 update. In a note to developers, Apple stated, “SharePlay has been disabled for use in iOS and iPadOS 15 developer beta 6 and will be disabled for use in its initial release this fall.”
“SharePlay will be enabled for use again in future developer beta releases and will launch to the public in software updates later this fall. To continue your development, we have provided a SharePlay Development Profile which will enable successful creation and reception of GroupSessions via the Group Activities API,” the company further said.
