by Shweta Mehta

Technology companies are always trying to one-up each other by making ground-breaking products in various segments in the market. When one company gets ahead of the other by releasing a product in an untapped niche, its competitors release a product with enhanced features that we didn’t know we needed. In short, there is no end to the race of releasing the next big thing in the market by tech giants like apple and google.

Apple is one of these tech giants who had somewhat of a monopoly over the tech industry for more than a decade since they first launched the iPod in the year 2001. But that is not the case today. Today, companies like Google, Samsung, and others are also in the playing field and Apple no longer holds a monopoly over the market like before.

Google has become a tech giant that has diversified its assets in way too many areas. They own Android, the most popular operating system in the world, Google Search, the most popular search engine in the world, Google Maps, etc. Both Apple and Google are in a constant battle trying to one-up each other and Apple CarPlay vs Android Auto is one of the fronts of this war between the giants.

The war is not just confined to the companies but between people too. There are people who like Google’s products like Android and others who are in the Apple ecosystem and don’t like Android. This creates confusion among the consumers whenever new products are launched in the same niche by both Apple and Google. In this article, we are going to compare two such products – Android Auto and Apple Carplay.

Gone are the days that our vehicle’s GPS framework is all the tech we needed in our cars. The most up to date innovation from Android and Apple make the in-car experience more fun and hands-free. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are helping drivers get around simply like the maps on our smartphones do but with hands free techniques that helps the drivers to focus on the driving.

They likewise plan to diminish the occasions of mishaps by not having drivers depend on their smartphones for the route, messaging, and going through music which distracts their attention.

Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay – What Are Their Differences?

1. Setup:

Before setting up Android Auto in your car, you should download the Auto application on your telephone, interface the USB port on Android Auto device to the vehicle’s USB port, and take into account the route and different controls to be directed by the application. It will appear on the screen in your car without much hassle.

As indicated by the reviews, the interface is, in reality, superior to anything that is standard to a normal GPS device’ route.

Depending upon the vehicle that the smartphone and the application are connected to, the matchup of android auto and your vehicle should be moderately easy. Following the prompts in the application step by step will be sufficient to kick you off. Any difficulties could arise because of the vehicle’s security. It probably won’t be as simple as Google says if there are issues with the vehicle.

CarPlay is similarly as straightforward as Android Auto should be. Connecting your smartphone to the route ought to be as simple as plug and play. Like Android Auto, there are a couple of applications you can connect through this interface, the applications are podcasts, music, calls, messages, and obviously, maps.

CarPlay also gives the alternative to return to the vehicle’s own navigation framework and interface if you need to.

The main setback with CarPlay is that it will just work with iPhones that are iPhone 5 and above, and it cannot be used in each vehicle. You can go through the list of incompatible vehicles on Apple’s website, which is great to know before you install CarPlay. There’s also the alternative of changing the system installed in your vehicle to one that is good, which can be expensive.

2. Voice Control:

Voice control is something that the users, for the most part, are becoming acclimated to, yet regardless it comes with some disadvantages.

Google is known as a veteran in this field, as their voice recognition tech is a standout amongst the most developed out there, if not the most exceptional. With new voice control alternatives coming to Google, this was the ideal time to test out the feature in Android Auto.

Voice controls are very simple in Android Auto, however, there must be the use of the mic option in the vehicle you’re driving. That makes it not completely a hands-free interface. Voice controls can also be misheard in the car when there is traffic noise but google does an excellent job in guessing what you’re trying to say.

CarPlay, then again, is completely dependent on voice commands as a technique to keep it totally a hands-free interface. This is incredible in principle as it will lower the probability of mishaps because of using phones, however it additionally carries with it its own issues.

Siri isn’t known for her fantastic voice recognition like Google does so this strategy may cause a number of issues than solutions.

3. Calls and Text Messages:

Making calls or sending SMS messages while driving is certainly not a smart thought. With CarPlay and Android Auto, you don’t risk utilizing your hands while driving to do things like sending SMS messages or picking up calls.

If there is a need to send an SMS message or make a call that can hardly wait, it’s simple and better to go handsfree. Android Auto is particularly best in class in that it can send messages based off out of your dictation with not many mistakes.

CarPlay has a comparative solution while remaining without hands, with the choice to make voice calls and to write or read messages that you have gotten while driving.

4. Navigation:

We all know that Google Maps remains the ruler of tech maps, so Android Auto’s route is better. With a larger number of alternatives than Apple maps, Android Auto is simply better in the navigation aspect.

The main drawback would make the separation between spots of a similar name utilizing voice commands alone.

As Siri still has wrinkles while utilizing voice control, navigating can be somewhat challenging as the main map’s application used by CarPlay is Apple Maps, and Siri has a problem in understanding voice controls most of the time.

5. Audio and Video:

Android Auto has choices with regards to music. There are a huge amount of 3rd party music streaming applications that can play music through Android Auto. They can also be browsed without hands. Switching platforms isn’t too troublesome with Android Auto.

Along with music, there are methods to watch YouTube on Android Auto without changing your car’s system or doing any kind of physical or software modifications. This is the biggest advantage of Android Auto.

CarPlay likewise has many alternatives other than Apple’s own music streaming applications. There are applications that can be downloaded and used through the application and played through Carplay. Both of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have made proper arrangements for playing music in your car without using your hands.

Conclusion:

At last, I would like to say that both Apple CarPlay, as well as Android Auto, are excellent contenders in the field of car navigation systems. Both have good navigation and voice control support. You should go for Apple’s CarPlayif you own an Apple device and are in the Apple ecosystem but otherwise, you should use Android Auto as it has better voice recognition and navigation.