Android Auto's Weather Widget Could Soon Make A Comeback On Smaller Screens
The leader has seen an expanding presence.
Android Auto is a nice way to extend Android from your phone to your car's dashboard, and for the most part things got even better when Google gave it a visual update this January. Dubbed Coolwalk, the update brought a smarter map-style design, but also changed the weather icon. We now have reason to believe that weather information is once again taking center stage in the Android Auto user interface.
In Android Auto, weather information was initially displayed on a separate tab, but over time an update moved it to a small icon in the corner of the screen. The Coolwalk redesign brought the weather map back from the home screen, but it only appeared on tall screens. The new map is a rarity, as most automakers have long used larger infotainment screens.
However, a Reddit user who discovered Coolwalk in its early stages of development has spotted a new flag that allows the new weather map to be on "all screens" (via 9to5Google), not just portrait mode. Unfortunately, as it stands, it doesn't do anything when you change the flag, suggesting that Google is still building the feature behind closed doors.
But this flagship feature of Android Auto doesn't guarantee it will be added, nor does it give us a timeline for when it will be released. Until then, there is a workaround to force the weather map. If you're using an AAWireless dongle to wirelessly connect Android Auto in a car that requires a phone connection via a USB cable, there's a setting in the companion app that changes your car's DPI. You can use it to trick the system into thinking that your car's screen is bigger than it actually is. As a result, touch targets may be small, but more widget space can make the weather map visible.
