I will put it upfront that I do not like iPhones. Despite being a Mac and iPad devotee, my three-year relationship with iPhones has come to an end and I could not be happier. Switching back to an Android phone (a Samsung S25 Ultra) feels like being unchained, but it’s not all fireworks and celebration.
You see, I now have a car that supports both CarPlay and Android Auto, and returning to Android Auto (which seems barely any better than three years ago) has become my sole regret after switching back to Android.
There is no doubt that, like Android itself, Android Auto is by far the more flexible solution. Google Gemini is significantly better than Siri for hands-free operation. You have much more control over the look, feel, and layout of Android Auto, and it supports more apps than CarPlay.
Perhaps most importantly, if you’re a power user willing to explore developer mode, you can go beyond the confines of Android Auto and truly make it your own.
These are excellent options and a solid set of principles, but in practice I’ve found that even completely untouched by customization, Android Auto is ‘fragile’—a word I use to describe its tendency to experience random app crashes while driving. On both my Samsung S25 Ultra and my wife’s Z-Flip 6, we’ve experienced unexpected app crashes while using Android Auto, which wouldn’t be catastrophic, but for some reason the phones refuse to reconnect if the car is already running. When this happens, I need to park the car, turn it off, and turn it back on again.
Now, of course this is just anecdotal, and you might attribute this to my car being the common factor. However, Android Auto used to work reliably on my 2020 KIA, and there have been no firmware updates for my infotainment system. This leads me to believe that whatever disrupted Android Auto for us likely occurred on Google’s side of the equation.
In the same car, using the same infotainment system, our iPhones with CarPlay simply work. Over the combined five years that we’ve used iPhones with CarPlay, it has never failed in any of the ways that Android Auto has.
Why? Well, I’m not a software engineer, but as with all things iPhone, a significant part of the reliability comes from the limited hardware variation. With Android, there are millions of combinations of cables, phones, Android versions, and distributions that could be connected. Even though we’re using some of the most mainstream Android phones, the problem likely worsens with more obscure handsets.
Yes, Siri isn’t currently in the same league as Gemini for advanced features, but honestly for the basic commands I need while driving—ISSUE CALLS, NAVIGATION, MUSIC CONTROL—I’m quite well covered. I don’t need to look up Wikipedia entries or engage in lengthy conversations with AI bots while driving.
Despite the relative lack of customization options and apps compared to Android Auto, I never actually needed to modify anything in CarPlay during all the years I used it. Therefore, switching to Android Auto has been a net negative experience for me.
My car is scheduled for its annual service soon, and I plan to ask the dealer if there’s been a firmware update, though I expect the answer will remain the same as the past five years. I intend to keep my car for at least another ten years, so I’m hopeful that Android Auto will improve over time.
If not, well, maybe I should consider getting a used iPhone that functions properly but is otherwise in poor condition and install it as a permanent part of my infotainment system.
