Updated
Updated · Android Authority · Jul 13
Android Auto Tests 3 New Media Controls as Dashboard Card Shifts Album Art to Center
Updated
Updated · Android Authority · Jul 13

Android Auto Tests 3 New Media Controls as Dashboard Card Shifts Album Art to Center

3 articles · Updated · Android Authority · Jul 13

Summary

  • Google is testing a redesigned Android Auto dashboard media card that centers album art, moves track details below it, and replaces the full-art background with a blurred color treatment.
  • The new layout can add up to 3 extra controls — like, shuffle and repeat — with availability varying by music app and by a head unit’s screen size or display density.
  • The change affects only the split-screen dashboard card shown beside navigation; the full-screen media player still uses the current interface.
  • The test build follows Google’s broader Android Auto redesign unveiled at I/O 2026, with other updates such as Maps’ Immersive Navigation already starting to roll out.
  • Because the feature was uncovered in an APK teardown, Google could still revise the design or drop it before a public release.

Insights

How will Google's Gemini AI transform your car into a proactive personal assistant?
With video and spatial audio now in cars, what is the next frontier for our mobile living rooms?