Google has announced details of a makeover Android Auto will receive this summer to make it safer and more intelligent.

The new design enables more information to be displayed without overwhelming users or requiring them to fiddle with the screen while driving.

A key example is driving while listening to audio and using a navigation app. Today, a user is required to switch between their chosen music and navigation apps. The new design features a bar at the bottom which expands with controls to interact with the other.

So, if a user is navigating in Waze – for example – a bar for a music app like Spotify will appear at the bottom. If a user is using Spotify, a bar for Waze showing the next direction at the bottom will be displayed.

Google says: "The new interface is built to help you get on the road faster, show more useful information at a glance, and simplify common tasks while driving.”

The current design of Android Auto features icons along the bottom for navigation software, audio, contacts, and a ‘car’ screen. With the update, these will be removed and replaced with a ‘home’ button on the left, voice and notification buttons on the right, and the new expanding bar in the middle.

Upon pressing the home button, users will be presented with a grid of their apps which should be more familiar to their smartphones and keep a more consistent experience.

Google has also darkened the overall theme and says the platform will now better adapt to various-sized displays. Another small but welcome addition is that a user’s standard music and navigation app will open automatically.

We'll likely hear more about Android Auto and Android Automotive (the baked-in version of the former) over the course of Google I/O this week.

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