Google Assistant Driving Mode Announced

[Sajo]

Back in May Google announced that they were working on a new Driving Mode for Assistant, to help with more hands-free functionality while driving. It's supposed to be released sometime this Summer. For those of us that have used the Motorola - Moto App - Driving Mode for years now, let's hope that Google's first shot at driving mode comes close to the awesome hands free experience that Moto Driving Mode has offered for years.

An excerpt from Google:

"In the car, the Assistant offers a hands-free way to get things done while you’re on the road. Earlier this year we brought the Assistant to navigation in Google Maps...
...Today we’re previewing the next evolution of our mobile driving experience with the Assistant’s new driving mode..."

Source: Google Bringing you the next-generation Google Assistant

 

[Gudasau]

Okay, that may just be what I needed to read to pull the proverbial trigger. My son just ordered his (picking it up after work today)

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Sajo]

It's not available yet, supposed to be sometime this Summer. We shall see. I hope Google can make this work smoothly.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

 

[Gudasau]

It's not available yet, supposed to be sometime this Summer. We shall see. I hope Google can make this work smoothly.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Me too. I'm sure they're capable. My fingers are crossed. I've got to do something soon and have resigned myself to not having it, but this may swing me back over to Moto -- I've been seriously considering jumping ship and going with Samsung.

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[LoudRam]

I loved the Moto driving app but since I got my LG I've been using Android Auto. It's almost (but not quite) as good as Moto's app so I'm curious what this new app will be like.

 

[Sajo]

It's not exactly an app, it's a new feature within Google Assistant. When you say "OK Google Let's Drive" it will open the new Driving Mode screen so you can navigate, answer calls, play music, read text messages, etc. If you say "OK Google Let's Drive" now, it opens a shortcut to Maps - Start Navigation. But doesn't have a "dashboard" display for all those other hands free options. The picture I saw looked very similar to Android Auto. Some tech reporters have even written that this is supposed to replace Android Auto altogether... eventually. We shall see. The main problem I see with Google's version of Driving Mode is it looks like the Assistant driving mode screen will have to remain open and the phone unlocked. Which is a major battery drain, so phone will need to be plugged in most of the time.

Nowhere near as good as Moto, where it runs as a service in the background and the screen can be off and it still reads out new texts and calls.

Hopefully Google can make this as smooth as possible, and keep it updated and bug free. I'm not holding my breath since Assistant - "Read My Messages" has been broken since January and Google is silent about fixing it.

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[xeene]

I don't want to talk to my phone every time i start driving. This feature should be automatic with no human input necessary. Like moto assist used to be, otherwise I won't use it, simple as that.

 

[PereDroid]

Like Motos driving mode still is.
Moto completely lost me though. I doubt anything could get me back after the Z4.
Y'all seriously need to consider One Plus. Best phone I've ever had, OP 6t. Previous best was my Z2F. This is better...

Tapatalk'ing on my 1+ 6t

 

[Sajo]

This thread is not about Moto though, not sure how we turned to that. This is about Google's first attempt at a Driving Mode that all Android users can use.

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[PereDroid]

You know why. Cuz Moto is the gold standard of driving mode when it comes to managing texts. I miss it.

Tapatalk'ing on my 1+ 6t

 

[Sajo]

Now that ^^^ is true. I do consider their Driving Mode the standard. Let's hope Google can do this justice.

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[xeene]

Like Motos driving mode still is.
Moto completely lost me though. I doubt anything could get me back after the Z4.
Y'all seriously need to consider One Plus. Best phone I've ever had, OP 6t. Previous best was my Z2F. This is better...

Tapatalk'ing on my 1+ 6t

A bit off topic here.

Problem with 1+ phones for me is lack of wireless charging, waterproofing, expandable storage. I also don't like curved screens and high price tags. Once 1+ addresses above issues, I would consider their phones. Top processors with lots of ram make no difference to me in daily usage. Being able to charge without plugging in and talking in the rain are more important.

OK back on topic!

 

[Sajo]

Google might be getting closer to releasing a Google app update with this new Driving Mode and the new UI dashboard. They released a bunch of YouTube videos recently advertising the new functionality.

 

[radon222]

I hope they enable Assistant Routines which don't currently work in stand-alone AA. Kind of defeats the purpose the Garage Door opener routine I setup; unless I exit out of AA before getting home.

 

[Sajo]

I posted this in another forum, and figured I would share here also.

I finally received the Assistant Driving Mode a few weeks ago, either with a Maps update or Google app update (or a combination of both). It works OK for me, you just have to go into phone Settings > find the built in Driving option in Settings and make sure it's set to Do Nothing and not the default: Enable DND.

I'm not happy that Google implemented this to only work while navigating with Maps. I know my route to work and home like the back of my hand Google. I was really hoping, based on their blog post announcing this in 2019 (it took 2 years Google?) that this would be something we could enable any time we were driving, like the old Moto version. I guess it's a start. Hopefully Google will give us the ability to turn this on without navigating with Maps.

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