Volvo delays Android Automotive update to early next year
Volvo postpones Android Automotive update to early next year, adding a drive mode button and pinned apps amid concerns over older hardware performance.
2025-12-15T20:48:20+03:00
2025-12-15T20:48:20+03:00
2025-12-15T20:48:20+03:00
Volvo has postponed a major software update for roughly 2.5 million cars built since 2020 and equipped with Android Automotive (Google) infotainment. The release was originally planned for 2025, but the company now says it will roll it out early next year to deliver a consistently stable experience across markets, model years, and hardware configurations. Customers will be contacted directly when the update becomes available.Cars running the Sensus system are not included. The update targets early Android Automotive setups, recognizable by a Home icon at the bottom of the screen and the absence of a separate physical drive mode selector.The headline change is how drivers choose drive modes. At the moment it takes three taps, a particular nuisance in hybrids where modes are switched frequently on the move. After the update, a dedicated virtual drive mode button will appear on the home screen, cutting the process to two taps. There will also be a persistent top bar for pinning favorite apps. It is a small, pragmatic tweak, but exactly the kind that reduces everyday friction.One uncertainty remains: how the refreshed interface will behave on older processors. Owners have long complained about sluggish performance, and newer models use more powerful hardware, so Volvo will have to prove the update does not make a premium cabin feel like using a smartphone from the 2000s. In the end, responsiveness will matter as much as the new layout.
Volvo, Android Automotive, infotainment update, software release delay, early next year, drive mode button, pinned apps bar, hybrids, performance on older hardware, Sensus excluded
Volvo postpones Android Automotive update to early next year, adding a drive mode button and pinned apps amid concerns over older hardware performance.
Michael Powers, Editor
Volvo has postponed a major software update for roughly 2.5 million cars built since 2020 and equipped with Android Automotive (Google) infotainment. The release was originally planned for 2025, but the company now says it will roll it out early next year to deliver a consistently stable experience across markets, model years, and hardware configurations. Customers will be contacted directly when the update becomes available.
Cars running the Sensus system are not included. The update targets early Android Automotive setups, recognizable by a Home icon at the bottom of the screen and the absence of a separate physical drive mode selector.
The headline change is how drivers choose drive modes. At the moment it takes three taps, a particular nuisance in hybrids where modes are switched frequently on the move. After the update, a dedicated virtual drive mode button will appear on the home screen, cutting the process to two taps. There will also be a persistent top bar for pinning favorite apps. It is a small, pragmatic tweak, but exactly the kind that reduces everyday friction.
One uncertainty remains: how the refreshed interface will behave on older processors. Owners have long complained about sluggish performance, and newer models use more powerful hardware, so Volvo will have to prove the update does not make a premium cabin feel like using a smartphone from the 2000s. In the end, responsiveness will matter as much as the new layout.
