It seems like the feature enhancements to Android Auto are continuing to arrive. This time there are “smart replies” coming for your messaging needs. The problem is the default responses aren’t what I’d call very smart and there is a limit to your customised responses.
In a blog post back in December, Google announced the feature:
With smart reply options coming soon, you can respond to a text message more easily with the Google Assistant on Android Auto — simply tap to respond or create a custom message.
Interestingly, this appears to be regional and only worked when a VPN to Europe was connected on my device. So it may well be a while (if at all) before we officially see the feature land in Australia. When a message is received while in the vehicle, your read-aloud option is there and (when stationary) options for quick responses are visible and sent at a single tap.
Given the capacity of Google Assistant to send replies via voice input from within your vehicle, I’m not sure how widely a smart reply feature will be used. It is, however, a show of continued development and commitment from Google to build the functionality of the platform.
Have you seen any new additions to the Android Auto features lately?
