Android Auto 16.8: Google quietly prepares Car Widgets

Google has started the rollout of Android Auto 16.8 to general users. The update is already reaching production devices, but the most interesting part is still tucked away inside: the company has nearly finished widget support for the in-car interface.

Android Auto 16.8.6618 is being distributed through the Google Play Store gradually. That means some drivers will get the update right away, while others will have to wait days or even weeks. This is how Google usually reduces the risk of mass-scale issues: if something goes wrong, the problem is easier to contain before the rollout is complete.

Those who don't want to wait can install the APK manually. The procedure is standard: download the Android Auto 16.8 installer to the phone, open it from device storage and follow the short installation flow. But the usual risk of manual updates applies — a higher chance of running into bugs, especially if the build hasn't reached the specific phone via Google Play yet.

The headline news is widgets. Android Auto 16.8 beta builds already showed signs that the feature is close to launch. Inside the system it used to be referred to as Earth; now the menus call it Car Widgets. Search and categories have appeared, allowing the driver to pick the cards they need.

Google's plan goes well beyond a couple of widgets. The company wants phone widgets to work in the car without any extra effort from developers. For the user that could mean quick access to weather, calendar, reminders, music or other data without digging through menus.

Weather is the one users are waiting for the most. After the Coolwalk redesign, the forecast and the current temperature effectively disappeared from many screens. The weather card today shows only on portrait displays, while on the regular wide Coolwalk screens it can't be brought back as a standard option.

Apple already added widgets to CarPlay with the release of iOS 26 last autumn, but Google is taking a different path. In CarPlay they sit on a dedicated screen, whereas Android Auto, judging by what's been found, wants to show widgets right next to the main interface. On large displays this could feel convenient; on smaller ones it will be a test of design discipline.

For now Google hasn't switched the feature on publicly. But Android Auto 16.8 looks like the kind of update after which the rollout of widgets no longer feels like a distant experiment: the system is preparing room for what drivers used to substitute with third-party solutions.

This English edition was prepared using AI translation under editorial oversight by SpeedMe. The original reporting is by Диана Дегтярева