Few apps could use split-screen mode as well as Android Auto. On smartphones, the feature allows for a more multimedia experience, for example, allowing you to watch a live stream while browsing social media. But in cars, precious seconds and even minutes could be spent paying attention to traffic if the driver didn't have to switch between GPS apps and the music player.

That's why last month Google released a big calendar updates for many of its systems, including Android Auto, which has finally started receiving the split-screen feature. The new feature will be compatible with widescreen device screens (like all cell phones, but not all automotive displays). Those that have space for this division.

Controversially, the split screen is not 50:50, with each app taking up the same amount of space on the split screen in Android Auto. The ratio is more like 70:30, with a main application in the largest space — on the left — and a secondary application on the right. When activated, it becomes mandatory to work with multi-window, and it is not possible to fill the entire screen with just one service. In addition, the first application always opens in the largest part of the display, and the second in the smallest. It is not possible to switch the arrangement of the windows. If you want to reverse the order, you must close them and open them in the desired order…

In addition to split-screen mode for Android Auto, other features will be implemented in the coming weeks (or months): Google promises small games in the system to entertain drivers and passengers during traffic jams, in addition to the possibility of wallpaper customization. Increasingly a reality in the automotive market, smart screens are here to stay: Ford, for example, promises that from 2023 onwards all its vehicles will have connectivity will use the company's system from Mountain View.

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