What you need to know
- Prepare to join meetings or make hands-free calls while driving as Microsoft Teams lands on Android Auto in February.
- Initial features focus on audio calls, with no news on messaging just yet.
- Zoom and Webex have already been racing on Android Auto since last September, but Microsoft finally puts the pedal to the metal.
Microsoft is set to roll out support for Teams on Android Auto in February, expanding the platform beyond media and navigation apps.
As per the Microsoft 365 roadmap, Microsoft Teams is gearing up to hit Google’s Android Auto soon (via TechRadar). That means if you’ve got Android Auto in your vehicle, you’ll soon be able to hop on video meetings and make calls from the comfort of your car.
Google initially revealed Teams’ arrival on Android Auto back in May during I/O 2023. But the company didn’t say when it would actually happen. Fast forward to now, and Teams users have roughly one more month to savor the serenity of their vehicle before it invades their infotainment head unit.
Although the app is set to roll out next month, Microsoft is keeping us in the dark about the nitty-gritty details. All it’s letting slip is that you can “join meetings and make calls” straight from the calendar view on your head unit.
The software giant keeps mum on whether Teams on Android Auto will play nice with messages. Back in the day, Android Auto was all about media and navigation, but times have changed. Last year, Google decided to mix things up by adding smart home apps and weather apps to the platform.
Since then, some of your favorite video conferencing services like Zoom rolled out its Android Auto app in September 2023, and Webex followed suit that very week. The Weather Channel and YouTube also hopped on the Android Auto train recently. Plus, the platform offers games for passengers, such as a version of Solitaire, to save their boring commute.
Both Android Auto and Android Automotive have been on a roll as car manufacturers left and right have decided to jump on the Google train in the past 12 months. According to Google, a whopping 200 million cars are now rocking Android Auto integration.