Android Auto 5.7 prepares to let you add a shortcut to a Google Assistant command

Google recently updated Android Auto’s settings UI with a couple of new elements designed to simplify the connection process. The update added a new ‘Connect a car’ button, instructions to help users connect using a USB cable, and a button to connect wirelessly. Now, Google is rolling out another update for Android Auto with an interesting addition.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

Android Auto v5.7.603944 doesn’t include any noteworthy user-facing changes. The update only brings some improvements for the Do Not Disturb functionality, optimizations for the Dark Mode, and a few bug fixes. But a teardown of the latest APK has unearthed strings of code that point towards an upcoming feature that will make Google Assistant on the app even more useful.

+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_activity_title">Assistant Action</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_add_button">Add</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_error_label_empty">Please enter a valid label</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_error_query_empty">Please enter a valid query</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_label_hint">Label</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_launcher_icon_title">LAUNCHER ICON</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_assistant_shortcut_query_hint">Assistant command</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_launcher_shortcut_button">Add a shortcut to the launcher</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_launcher_shortcut_deleted">Item removed</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_shortcut_dialog_option_assistant">an assistant action</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_shortcut_dialog_option_contact">a contact to call</string>
+ <string name="settings_customize_add_shortcut_dialog_title">Add a shortcut to</string>

The strings suggest that Google is working on adding a shortcut to a Google Assistant command in Android Auto. Our Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, has managed to enable the feature manually, and here’s what it looks like:

These screenshots show the setup process for adding a new shortcut for an Assistant Action in Android Auto. The feature will let you pick an Assistant command and Launcher icon label for the shortcut during the process. Once the shortcut is set up, you’ll be able to perform your custom Assistant Action from within the app.

It’s worth noting that although Mishaal was able to enable the onboarding process for the feature, he wasn’t able to get the feature to actually work. This suggests that the feature is currently in its early stages of development, and Google may flesh it out in an upcoming Android Auto update. As of now, we have no official information from Google regarding the feature or its release timeline.

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

The post Android Auto 5.7 prepares to let you add a shortcut to a Google Assistant command appeared first on xda-developers.

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