On June 18, Google announced that its video conferencing service, Google Meet, now works with Android Auto. Connect a compatible phone to your car and you can check your next meeting on the vehicle's display and join with a single tap. The emphasis is on letting you join by voice while keeping your attention on the road, and the camera switches off automatically once you are in.
Join meetings straight from the car's dashboard
Until now, joining a meeting while driving meant picking up your phone and tapping through it. With this update, Google Meet appears as one of the apps on your car's display and can be opened directly from the dashboard.
The screen shows your upcoming meetings, and once the start time is near you can join with a single tap. Beyond meetings, the integration also handles outgoing and incoming audio calls. A History tab keeps your call log in one place, so you can quickly dial a colleague or client without taking your eyes off the road. There is no need to pull over and dig out your phone just to make a meeting.
While driving, audio only: camera and some features turn off automatically
Because the feature is built for use behind the wheel, safety considerations run throughout. When you join a meeting or call from the car's display, Google Meet automatically switches to its on-the-go mode.
Specifically, the camera turns off and you do not see the other side's video. You only hear audio, while you can still speak through the microphone. At the same time, on-screen features such as chat, hand raise, polls, and Q&A are temporarily disabled. The controls available while driving are limited to muting the microphone, switching the connection to other Bluetooth accessories, and ending the call. In other words, the feature is deliberately pared back so you can take part in a meeting's audio without staring at the screen or making fine taps.
No setup required, on by default
No special setup is needed to get started. There is no admin control for the feature, so an organization's administrator does not have to enable anything in advance.
On the user side, as long as you have the Google Meet app installed on your Android phone, the feature is on by default. From there, you simply connect your phone to an Android Auto-compatible vehicle to use it.
Who can use it, and when it arrives
Availability is broad. It covers not only organizations that subscribe to Google Workspace, but also Workspace Individual subscribers and people using personal Google accounts. It works with both work and personal accounts.
The rollout is gradual. It has already started for Rapid Release domains, while Scheduled Release domains are expected to receive it by June 26.
Following CarPlay, expanding into the driving experience
Google Meet arrived on Apple's CarPlay back in April, and with this Android Auto support you can now join meetings from both of the major in-car platforms. As remote and hybrid work have settled in, joining a meeting while on the move has become commonplace. Having a safe way to take part from the driver's seat is a change that those who spend a lot of time in the car will likely notice most.
Summary
Google Meet's Android Auto support lets you check your schedule, join meetings, and make audio calls entirely from the car's display. Once you join, the camera and on-screen features are automatically held back so the experience stays audio-first and does not distract from driving. It works by default with no special setup and reaches a wide audience, from businesses to personal accounts. It is already live on Rapid Release, and Scheduled Release is due to roll out by June 26.
