'Android M' To Take Over Your Dashboard, Give Vehicles A Direct Line To The Internet

The days of connecting your phone to your car stereo are coming to an end. Google’s next operating system release, Android M, will launch in the next year or two and will put Android in your car, according to a Reuters report. Google already has Android Auto, which requires a connection to your cell phone, but cars with Android M will have direct Internet connection and will function without the help of your phone. 

“With embedded it’s always on, always there,” an unidentified source with knowledge of Android M told Reuters. “You don’t have to depend on your phone being there and on.”

Apple CarPlay, pictured above, could be getting some competition from Android M in the not-too-distant future. Image Credit: Apple

It’s not surprising that Google is looking to get its Android operating system into cars. Its competitors are also vying for your dashboard -- Apple announced CarPlay in March and Microsoft announced its own competing version in April.

Ford relies on Microsoft for its beleaguered MyFord Touch display, but announced earlier this month that it’s renaming its system Sync 3 and will be using Blackberry’s QNX operating system to power infotainment system in its future cars. Sync 3 is meant to support a connection to your smartphone and is designed to have a faster, simpler interface than its predecessor.

Android M might be a game-changer if it can overcome the technological and business hurdles it faces. Automakers may not want to cede so much control over the user experience to Google; but even if Google overcomes that concern, there will likely be those that are concerned about user privacy. Google would have “access to GPS location, where you stop, where you travel everyday, your speed, your fuel level, where you stop for gas,” a Reuters source said. 

This would be a treasure trove of information for data-hungry Google and explains why the Internet search giant is making such a big push for your automobile.