Android Auto update puts music and directions up front

Given that users are operating heavy machinery, tweaking a car system interface is a delicate act. As such, Google has made some subtle changes to the Android Auto home screen in the latest update to show "ongoing activities like music and navigation at a glance." You can now access music playback controls directly from the homescreen -- before, you could see which song was playing but needed to go to another screen to pause it. Navigation is also expanded on the home screen to show turning directions without forcing users over to the main app.

There's also a new home screen background, larger playback controls, subtle changes to the color scheme and, as Android Police noted, subtle changes to scrolling. All of this is in the service of making the system easier to read, sans overwhelming drivers with drastic UI changes. Version 1.2 is now available on Play.