Don’t get me wrong, this Android phone is not a modified Android phone, but BMW will follow the footsteps of Volvo and will introduce the Android Automotive OS (AAOS) operating system for its car models starting next year. However, the approach is different from the Swedish car manufacturer. BMW does not intend to replace the existing iDrive 8 with the in-car entertainment system developed by Google, but to "integrate" AAOS into the existing iDrive 8. However, BMW only revealed that this powerful car-machine transformation will be implemented after March next year. It has not yet released official previews or news about which cars will be the first to carry it.
Under the influence of the CASE (Connectivity Internet of Vehicles, Autonomous Autonomous Driving, Sharing Sharing Services and EV Electric Vehicles) trend, technology companies that originally seemed unrelated to the automotive industry are also deeply involved, in addition to the familiar Apple CarPlay and Android In addition to smartphone connection functions such as Auto, Apple also released a new generation of CarPlay interface at this month's WWDC Developer Conference, which can be deeply integrated with various vehicle systems, even the dashboard!
However, when it comes to the deep integration of operating systems and vehicles, Apple's progress is obviously far behind Google. Currently in new cars such as the new Volvo XC60 and XC40 Recharge, you can see that the operating system on the center console is no longer the existing Sensus, but AAOS jointly developed by the Swedish brand and the technology giant. AAOS seems to be the same as Android phones in the market, using the Android operating system, but the scope of AAOS is not limited to the central control screen, even the instrument panel is within the control range, and it can also control the air conditioning and even the power system of the vehicle itself. In-depth integration is definitely not as simple as projection on mobile phones such as Android phones or Android Auto.
Based on the previous experience of test driving the XC40 Recharge, AAOS, which is deeply integrated with the power management system, can accurately estimate the remaining power. That is to say, when you use the navigation function of the car, the remaining battery power when you arrive will be displayed next to the destination. After actual testing, it has been confirmed that this function is quite reliable; another benefit of AAOS is that as long as you log in to your personal Google account, the locations or search information you record on Google Map will be directly synchronized on the car screen, and the input interface and Google Assistant are exactly the same as your Android phone, just like an Android tablet built directly into the car. convenient.
However, it is precisely because of this that the current AAOS does not support the Apple CarPlay or even Android Auto connection functions that everyone is accustomed to, because AAOS itself is an Android device. However, it is understood that AAOS is expected to be updated through software in the future to "return" the mobile phone projection function to your car; according to the current information released by BMW, prospective car owners should not have to worry about the dilemma of not being able to use Apple CarPaly and Android Auto, because it seems that iDrive 8 and AAOS should appear on new cars using a dual-platform parallel approach. It is speculated that the reason why BMW is willing to incorporate iDrive 8 into AAOS is probably so that the energy management system of electric vehicles can be linked to Google Map, giving car owners a more convenient way to manage energy.
