Photo: Beeper
Android Auto makes substantial progress on all key fronts, as the application not only receives new updates regularly but also lands in more cars and gets integrated by more high-profile developers.
The Android Auto ecosystem is expanding rapidly, and Beeper is the latest top name to adopt Google's in-car experience.
Beeper is an app that simplifies the messaging experience on your mobile device, as it brings all popular platforms under the same roof. You can connect your WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger, and Google accounts. It also supports social platforms like Instagram and X, and users can connect Discord and Slack accounts.
When everything is configured, you can chat with your contacts on all these platforms from the same UI, so you no longer need separate apps.
Beeper originally supported Android Auto, but the car experience was dropped when the parent company released a major redesign. The work on bringing it back to Android Auto was already underway, and earlier this month, the company confirmed that Beeper returns to the car with the latest update.
However, the first thing everybody must be aware of when rushing to update Beeper specifically for Android Auto support is that the car experience is still half-baked. The company says it only supports receiving and responding to messages that land on your phone. You can't start new conversations, but the company says this is only the current behavior, likely as it's working on improving it with support for composing new messages in the coming updates.
Otherwise, the new Beeper release—version 4.12.7—includes an overhaul for the search experience. The parent company explains that users can filter searches by network and attachment type. It also introduces experimental image recognition and other refinements for Discord Server and Slack Workspace.
The messaging experience is critical for Android Auto users, allowing drivers to focus on the road without losing access to communication apps. Reading incoming messages and sending replies are powered by Google Assistant, the voice assistant bundled with Android and also available on Android Auto.
Meanwhile, Android Auto is also getting new updates, with the application recently reaching version 12.4 in the beta stage. The pre-release version allows users to try out the update before Google begins the public rollout to production devices, albeit it shouldn't be used as a daily driver due to the increased likelihood of glitches.
If everything works as expected and no major problem is found in this beta build, Google should start the rollout to production devices by the end of this week. Devices configured to receive updates automatically will get the new Android Auto update in phases, while the APK installer will allow anyone to sideload the new version without waiting for the automatic distribution model.
Beeper is an app that simplifies the messaging experience on your mobile device, as it brings all popular platforms under the same roof. You can connect your WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger, and Google accounts. It also supports social platforms like Instagram and X, and users can connect Discord and Slack accounts.
When everything is configured, you can chat with your contacts on all these platforms from the same UI, so you no longer need separate apps.
Beeper originally supported Android Auto, but the car experience was dropped when the parent company released a major redesign. The work on bringing it back to Android Auto was already underway, and earlier this month, the company confirmed that Beeper returns to the car with the latest update.
However, the first thing everybody must be aware of when rushing to update Beeper specifically for Android Auto support is that the car experience is still half-baked. The company says it only supports receiving and responding to messages that land on your phone. You can't start new conversations, but the company says this is only the current behavior, likely as it's working on improving it with support for composing new messages in the coming updates.
Otherwise, the new Beeper release—version 4.12.7—includes an overhaul for the search experience. The parent company explains that users can filter searches by network and attachment type. It also introduces experimental image recognition and other refinements for Discord Server and Slack Workspace.
The messaging experience is critical for Android Auto users, allowing drivers to focus on the road without losing access to communication apps. Reading incoming messages and sending replies are powered by Google Assistant, the voice assistant bundled with Android and also available on Android Auto.
Meanwhile, Android Auto is also getting new updates, with the application recently reaching version 12.4 in the beta stage. The pre-release version allows users to try out the update before Google begins the public rollout to production devices, albeit it shouldn't be used as a daily driver due to the increased likelihood of glitches.
If everything works as expected and no major problem is found in this beta build, Google should start the rollout to production devices by the end of this week. Devices configured to receive updates automatically will get the new Android Auto update in phases, while the APK installer will allow anyone to sideload the new version without waiting for the automatic distribution model.
Google News