Summary
- The Android Auto 13.4 update brings a refreshed media player design.
- The new player adapts to album art with dynamic coloring.
- The progress bar now has a visible handle for better cleaning.
Android Auto gets an updated media player. As reported 9to5GoogleAs part of the Android Auto 13.4 update, an updated media player design is currently making its way to many Android Auto users.
The Android Auto media player hasn’t changed much since the big Android Auto overhaul last year, so the refreshed media player is pretty notable. Compared to the previous version of the media player interface, the redesigned version features smaller album art, but also dynamic coloring similar to Material You themes on Android phones and tablets. The player’s buttons and background adapt to the album art of the media currently playing.
Source: 9to5Google
The media progress bar now appears to the right of the album art rather than below it, and has a visible handle to better emphasize that you can use this UI element to navigate through a given track. As 9to5 points out, Android Auto’s media player is consistent across different streaming services. The screenshot above of Spotify running in the new player should give you an idea of what other services like YouTube Music or Apple Music look like.
Deploying as part of Android Auto 13.4
Android Auto version 13 arrived in October without any flashy new features, but with version 13.4, Google is starting to make visible changes. 9to5 speculates that this change could be a sign that Google is preparing to launch the ongoing Car Media app, which should better integrate local media as well as AM/FM radio stations into the Android Auto experience. For now, it’s just a visual refresh for apps like Spotify and YouTube Music, but fingers crossed it means bigger changes and additions will come in the new year.
