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 updates are adding some of Android's colorful accents to the app. Right now, Android Auto 13.4 is rolling out to all users.

The update doesn't bring big functionality changes, but it does come with quite a notable user-facing transformation. Android Auto is now featuring Material You design elements, and the new colorful accents show up throughout the UI to match what's on your phone.

Changes in accent colors have been noticed in different system elements with Android Auto 13.4. These elements include buttons, toggles, and even background colors of cards and menus. The Material You design language was present (in a very limited capacity) already within music apps, for example, where their UI elements were changing to match album art.

Places where you can see the new colors include the Settings menu, notifications, and the notification center. You need to have the setting for matching your phone's wallpaper turned on to see interesting colors though.



At this point, it seems that the transformation hasn't been finished and seems not to be working at its best. When you change the colors on your phone, for example, 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 colors won't change at all.

It seems like Google will be refining this over time to make it better reflect the customizable Material You design language. Despite that though, I find this change very good-looking. After all, Android Auto is an app that allows you to see your phone's apps in your car, and it makes a lot of sense if the looks of your phone UI are also reflected on your car's dashboard. Hopefully, Google will be quick to refine things so those change when you update your phone's colors as well.