Android Auto isn’t good enough for Galaxy phones, Samsung will push Car Mode instead

By Robert Nazarian Published September 4, 2015

samsung car mode gear s2 galaxy note 5 20494153984 130a444909 o — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Samsung has always offered a Car Mode on its phones, but the company refined it for the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Galaxy Note 5, and possibly other Galaxy phones.

Shown at a press conference today at IFA 2015, the biggest change to Car Mode is the fact that it can connect wirelessly to cars via MirrorLink. MirrorLink is a universal technology that allows smartphones to display apps and services on infotainment systems. Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen are already offering cars with the technology.

Recommended Videos

One area in which Samsung is leading the way with Car Mode is that it offers a standalone mode for those situations in which a car isn’t compatible with MirrorLink. This will be the case for most people, since only newer cars offer such features.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Samsung’s Car Mode is similar to CarPlay and Android Auto in that you can use your voice to read/reply to messages, control audio, and specify what music you want to listen to. You can also look up destinations and get turn-by-turn directions via the in-dash display. We presume that all voice commands will be routed through Samsung’s S Voice personal assistant. Users can also control apps by tapping the in-dash display, if they prefer.

samsung car mode gear s2 galaxy note 5 21124512171 2501b5243b o

samsung car mode gear s2 galaxy note 5 20929997509 53838d3124 o

This kind of functionality is exactly what Apple and Google are offering with CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively. Interestingly enough, most Samsung phones will work with Android Auto as well, so consumers actually have two choices.

Samsung wasn’t clear on if developers needed to adjust their apps in order to work with Car Mode, but the company did say there won’t be a separate app store.

Samsung also announced a new partnership with Volkswagen, in which the new Gear S2 smartwatch will integrate with its Car-Net e-remote app on select cars. Users will be able to lock/unlock car doors, open/close windows, control climate settings, and even find out where their car is parked from the Gear S2 smartwatch.

Topics

Robert Nazarian

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Robert Nazarian became a technology enthusiast when his parents bought him a Radio Shack TRS-80 Color. Now his biggest…

Mobile

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 shows why Android 12L isn’t enough

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with keyboard.

Android tablets have usually fallen behind iPads and Windows tablets when it comes to offering good tablet experiences. With Android 12L, Google is taking that particular bull by the horns. The update will roll out to Pixel phones starting next month, but Samsung's recent announcement of the Galaxy Tab S8 casts a shadow over what should be a revival for Google's tablet ambitions because it shows that the problem with Android tablets isn't really with the interface.
What's Android 12L?
To quickly recap, Google last year announced Android 12L, an initiative the company is using to make Android a better experience on tablets and foldables. The company will continue this work through Android 13 and has hopes for app developers to step in line and create apps that would work better with Android going forward. The big issue here is that Android 12L is redundant for the most part -- and the Tab S8 is a reminder of that.

Android 12L, as far as focusing on bigger screen devices goes, amounts to pretty much a user interface revamp. There's a new multi-pane interface for the lock screen and the notification center, and there's support for a dock for productivity scenarios. But none of this actually fixes problems that exist for users. If you've done any shopping for Android tablets recently, you'll notice that companies like Samsung that actually sell Android tablets have pretty much always had their device software competently tablet-optimized.
Android tablets already have optimized interfaces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPGzX_y8ccM

Mobile

The Samsung Galaxy S22 isn’t charging as fast as it should

Galaxy S22 Plus charging port.

The Galaxy S22 series comes with two types of chargers, 25-watt adapters for the base S22 model and 45 watts for the S22+ and the S22 Ultra. However, tests with both adapters seem to indicate that they don't really make a difference to overall charging time.

When comparing the time it takes to reach a full charge with all models in the S22 line, it becomes apparent that spending the extra cash on a 45W adapter is a complete waste as all devices take the same amount of time, according to tests done by GSMArena.

Mobile

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 isn’t better than the Oppo Find N, and that’s a good thing

Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Oppo Find N closed in hand.

If the Oppo Find N is one of the most important smartphones released this year, due to its chance to truly challenge Samsung’s current dominance in folding phones, how does it really compare with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 when you use them each day?

Since the Oppo Find N arrived last week, I’ve been using it alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, initially expecting to come up with a solid answer about which one is the best at being a folding smartphone. However, as time passed, I found neither of them is better than the other, and then realized this was the best possible outcome. Here’s why.
The differences
Before we get into how the two phones work alongside each other, we need to talk about the differences. Although both the Oppo Find N and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 operate in basically the same way, there are some differences that change the way you use both phones.

nproxy.org