Android Auto’s 8.7 update is probably not the one you’ve been waiting for
Google has been working on anAndroid Autoredesign for years now. The new look first leaked in September 2021 before the companymade it official at I/O 2022. The Coolwalk UI enteredbeta testing in November 2022, with the big G finallyannouncing a stable release in Januarythis year. As it turned out, though, Google’s rollout pace has been languid, with only some lucky users getting access to the new design weeks after the announcement. The company has now released Android Auto 8.7 to the public through the Play Store, but sadly, it does not bring the new Coolkwalk redesign.
9to5Googlereports that many users received the Android Auto 8.7 update via the Play Store over the last few days. The new release does not seem to include significant new features or user-facing bug fixes. More importantly, even if the Android Auto 8.7 update shows up on your phone, it won’t automatically activate the Coolwalk design.
TheCoolwalk UI showed up for an Acura RDX ownerover the Lunar New Year weekend despite his phone running Android Auto 8.6. This signals that the new UI is not linked to your phone’s Android Auto version, with the update components being pushed by Google through a server-side update. Some users on aReddit threadeven report having access to the Coolwalk interface on Android Auto 8.5x. Still, you could manually sideload Android Auto 8.7 fromAPKMirroron your phone to see if it activates the new UI.
Given that Coolwalk is a major UI revamp of Android Auto, it is understandable why Google is taking so long to roll it out. The company probably wants to ensure the new interface works well across different head units and does not contain any major bugs that could negatively affect the user experience. However, the slow rollout is frustrating users who have been waiting for months to try out the redesign.
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