Google Android independent version of the driving mode dashboard announces that it will stop operation

CTOnews.com Google is turning off Driving Mode, a standalone assistant-driven dashboard that gives users quick access to audio controls, contacts, navigation and other shortcuts while on the road, according to 9to 5 Google. The feature was first announced at Google's I / O conference in 2019 and wasn't officially launched until last year, but now Google has announced that it will stop operating the service on November 21.

CTOnews.com has learned that the standalone version of Drive Mode is distinct from Google Maps 'built-in Drive Mode feature, which automatically launches when users start navigating. As Mishaal Rahman of Esper points out, Google added assistant driving to Google Maps before it released a standalone version of driving mode.

The only difference between the two is that users can access the standalone version by saying voice commands like "Hey Google, start driving mode," or by tapping the driving mode shortcut on the phone's home screen. Once driving mode is turned off, users will have to access its features by launching navigation in Google Maps, which is probably something many users have been doing.

However, for those cars that may not have Android Auto digital navigation center support, the standalone version of the driving mode is closed. The standalone driving mode service was supposed to replace the Android Auto mobile screen app that Google discontinued in Android 12.