Apps & Services
Android Auto coolwalk available for everyone: New dock, split screen, WhatsApp calls for Samsung, and more
Android Auto is an inbuilt app that Google introduced for Android smartphones; with the help of this application, you can enjoy all your smartphone content on your car display. It optimizes all your entertainment, including music, media, and messaging apps, according to the display. The main purpose of the app is to reduce distractions while you focus on driving the car.
Android Auto brings new UI design Coolwalk
Google released a new update for the Android Auto application. It brings revamped UI, and it is available for all users. The design is developed under the code name “Coolwalk,” which premiered last year during Google I/O 2022 and is finally available to everyone after a public beta period of about two months. The new design is a major update to Android Auto: it offers a revamped dashboard that provides more information just a tap away, includes a quick shortcut dock located near the wheel, and integrates new features.
It will possible to make WhatsApp calls with Android Auto on Samsung and Pixel
In addition to the new design, there are several new features: the Assistant provides smart suggestions (for example, reminding you of missed calls or sharing arrival time with someone), and quick shortcuts are shown to respond quickly to messages. Google has also announced that it will soon be possible to make WhatsApp calls with Android Auto on Pixel and Samsung smartphones.
Android Auto gets dock (Taskbar) like Android 12L
Coolwalk also includes a dock that allows you to quickly switch between the most used apps or the most recently used ones, and which obviously contains all the information about the battery life of the smartphone, the time or network connection and the buttons to open the drawer of the applications, which instead remains practically unchanged.
The dock then adapts to the app you’re using and shows your media controls when you’re in a different app than the one you’re playing content.
How to update Android Auto
The Android Auto update is being released on the Play Store, whose page you can reach via the badge below. If it is not yet available, you obviously only have to wait a few hours for the release to be complete.
Samsung has rolled out a new update for Theme Park with version number 1.1.00.9. With the latest update, the company has made improvements to its existing functionalities. Let’s explore how it will be beneficial for you.
According to the changelog, the latest update for Theme Park will fix the crash issue that is causing inconvenience in creating an icon pack. Furthermore, it will include bug fixes for the color pack. Ultimately, when you install the latest update, it will improve the overall experience of the functionalities.
In previous updates, the company meticulously improved the application features by implementing new changes to speed up theme creation, adding the ability to edit and overwrite themes, and introducing automation to reflect new icons for newly installed apps based on the currently used icon pack.
So if you want to use all the fresh improvements for the Theme Park application, then update it to the latest version. To do that, go to the Galaxy Store, search for Theme Park, and if the update is available, tap on the install button.
For starters, Theme Park is an exclusive Samsung app that is available for Galaxy devices that support Good Lock functionality. The application offers many features that help users easily customize and apply new themes to their devices. For your information, the theme park allows you to easily make changes to the elements, including theme color, choose different styles, apply different icon packs, and many more.
Samsung’s exclusive Good Lock app and its modules are finally available on the Google Play Store. Previously, this app only appeared in the Galaxy Store.
Initially, Samsung introduced its Good Lock app back in March 2016, then stably released it on June 27, 2023, but only on its Galaxy Store. It is a free application that permits you to customize the user interface and experience on Samsung Galaxy devices.
Samsung Galaxy owners who prefer Google Play instead of the Galaxy Store can now easily download the Google Lock app directly from the Google Play Store. This is being speculated by a post on X shared by, Tarun, who stated that “Good lock is now available in the Google Play Store. I hope it will be available in more countries.”
By this statement, it is pretty clear that, at the moment, only in particular countries is the Good Lock app available in the Play Store, but it is expected that it will be available in more countries soon. However, the tipster didn’t mention the regions where this app was finally housed in the Play Store.
Apart from this, reportedly, Good Lock’s One Hand Operation+ module is available on the Play Store. The Korean giant has already mentioned ‘Early Access’ to Good Lock’s name in the Play Store, so the company is testing the waters right now. It is expected that it could remove the ‘Early Access’ tag once things get stable.
Google has started preparing for the May 2024 system update for Android devices. The company has published information about updates that improve its own applications, and here it has discussed some fixes that enhance the functionality of Google Play services.
According to the official page, Google has made some new changes that will provide resolution to the issues found in wallet and system management services. Additionally, under system management, the update has brought some improvements that improve privacy and stability.
Google Play services v24.17 (2024-05-01)
Wallet
- [Phone] Bug fixes for Wallet related services.
System Management
- [Auto] Updates to system management services that improve Privacy.
- [Auto, Phone, TV, Wear] Updates to system management services that improve Stability.
It is worth noticing the new changes made to the wallet to improve the services for smartphones. Meanwhile, the system management changes will be noticeable in Android Auto, smartphones, Android TV, and WearOS.
Regarding availability, the new changes will be gradually available for all Android smartphones. Users can take advantage of the new features by individually updating the Google application, or they can wait for the company to fully release the Play system update, which will bring a wealth of innovation to the Android ecosystem.
If Android users are using a stock Android device, they can easily check for the new Google system update by following these simple steps: open settings, tap on security and privacy, touch the system update, tap on the Google Play system update, and if the new update is available, tap on the install button. However, the steps can vary because of different UI skins, but the play system update option is typically available under the security and privacy menu.