Android Auto 13.4 update brings new looks to match your phone better

Google is now adding Material You accent colors to Android Auto, and the latest update is adding them Some colorful features of Android apps. Currently, Android Auto 13.4 is rolling out to all users.

The update doesn’t bring big functional changes, but it does bring quite significant user-facing changes. Android Auto now features Material You design elements, and new colorful decorations appear throughout the UI to match the content on your phone.

Accent colors have changed across different system elements in Android Auto 13.4. These elements include buttons, toggles, and even background colors for cards and menus. For example, the Material You design language already exists in music apps (in a very limited capacity), and their UI elements are being changed to match album art.

Places where you’ll see the new colors include the Settings menu, Notifications, and Notification Center. However, you’ll need to turn on settings that match your phone’s wallpaper to see the fun colors.

So far, the transformation seems incomplete and doesn’t seem to be working optimally. For example, when you change the colors on your phone, it won’t always automatically update the colors on Android Auto. Sometimes, you need to force-stop the Android Auto app and reconnect, and sometimes, the color doesn’t change at all.

Google appears to be refining this over time to better reflect the customizable Material You design language. Still, I think this change is pretty cool. After all, Android Auto is an app that allows you to view your phone’s apps in your car, and it would make more sense if the look of your phone’s UI was also reflected on your car’s dashboard. Hopefully Google will improve it quickly so that when you update your phone’s colors these will also change.