PATRICK BRADY: I'm Patrick Brady from the Android Auto team.

And I'm here with Lauren, Rasekh, and Dean

to give you an update on Android in cars.

We've got a lot to cover today and a lot of automotive puns.

So let's buckle up and get driving.

We're incredibly excited about the automotive space

right now because we see it going

through huge transformations, from

electrification to connectivity, sensors and input

devices, sharing and autonomy.

Cars are rapidly turning into full-blown computers on wheels,

with high-speed mobile connections, microphones,

cameras, and screens everywhere of all shapes and sizes.

It's a computing transformation unlike many we've seen before.

And it opens up new opportunities

for innovation and for developers.

Android Auto is an effort from Google and our partners

to bring these advances together and create

a safe and seamless connected experience for drivers

everywhere.

Of course, that's a lot easier said than done.

There are dozens of different car platforms

today, many different input types,

from touch screens to touch pads and rotary controllers,

many different screen shapes, and sizes, and resolutions.

Layer on top of that the myriad driver distraction

guidelines and regulations across the globe.

If every software developer had to deal

with this level of complexity, we

would never be able to realize the potential that automotive

holds.

Well, at Google, we believe that platforms

can reduce that complexity and allow developers to just focus

on innovation.

We saw that happen on the web and in mobile.

And we're working hard to do the same thing here,

making Android the platform for the car.

Today, you can see that vision at work in any Android

Auto-compatible car.

Drivers have access to their favorite apps

right from the car's display.

And developers build their app once for every car,

without having to worry about the make and model, the screen

size, the input type.

We started this journey back in 2014,

partnering with leading car brands

to bring Android Auto to their cars.

We've made a lot of progress since then,

and I'd like to give you just a quick update on how

things are going.

We continue to see incredible growth in compatible cars

and aftermarket systems, with over 500 models

available today from 50 different brands.

Since last I/O, we've seen first launches from Fiat,

Alfa Romeo, Tata Motors, and Smart; and 2018,

bringing exciting new launches from Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda,

and many more.

Just last month, JVC and Kenwood launched the first head unit

supporting Android Auto wireless.

We're really excited about wireless,

and we look forward to more partner launches in the months

ahead.

With these great partnerships, we're well on our way to

making Android the platform, the developer platform,

for every new car shipped.

But what about the 1 billion cars on the road that

predated Android Auto?

What do we do for those cars?

Well, of course, we know not everyone

has a compatible vehicle.

So we made the Android Auto app available to all Android users

as a standalone experience.

And this opens up the platform and the ecosystem

to many millions of drivers, no matter what kind of car

they drive.

And as we've made Android Auto available to more cars and more

drivers, we're happy to say that the strong user

growth continues.

Here's where we were in I/O 2016,

I/O 2017, and today, at I/O 2018.

We've seen over 300% user growth in the last year alone.

In fact, as you can see on the chart,

our growth is accelerating as we make

Android Auto available to more cars and more drivers.

And that consistent platform and large install base

is a great opportunity for developers.

So we continue to see strong growth on that front, as well.

In the last year, with some popular apps

like Waze, Google Play Books, TextMe, Sirius XM, and Plex

launching Android Auto, Google Play

now has thousands of Android Auto apps available.

And that's a 200% growth from last year.

In January, we also launched the Google Assistant

in Android Auto, opening up a new way for drivers

to stay safely connected in the car and for developers

to build car-friendly experiences.

And the great thing is actions built for the Google Assistant

work across the Assistant services,

from smart speakers to TVs, wearables, and mobile.

We're excited about some of the early favorites in automotive,

such as Spot Hero, which helps you find and reserve

parking spots; busuu, bringing personalized language learning

right into your car; and CNBC, bringing you

the most up-to-date business news and market

insights on the go.

The Actions on Google ecosystem is exploding,

and we're super excited to see what you all build next.

But of course, that's just the beginning for Android in cars.

As cars advance, we have the opportunity

to create an even more seamless experience by building Android

right into the car itself.

And that's why we started an effort back in 2016

to build automotive support right into the platform.

The first demo of that work was right here at I/O in 2016

with this concept Maserati.

With a lot of help from the industry,

we're investing in building automotive features

into each Android release, making Android a turnkey

platform for infotainment, just as it's been

a turnkey solution for phones.

And the rest of the industry is taking notice.

Last year, two of the world's most innovative car makers,

Audi and Volvo, announced that Android will power

their future in-car experiences.

If you had a chance to see the in-car demos last year,

we think you'll understand our excitement for the future

and why we look forward to many more car makers

following in their tracks.

Earlier this week, Volvo and Google

announced a partnership to bring Google services

to the next-generation, Android-powered Volvo cars.

With the Google Assistant, Google Maps, and the Play Store

seamlessly integrated into the Sensus system,

were creating a new benchmark for the connected driving

experience and a great opportunity

for all of you, our developers.

And of course, this all works no matter what kind of phone

the driver has, or even if they leave their phone at home.

To get a preview of that experience today,

swing by the Android Auto Sandbox,

where you can see it live and in action in the next C40.

So we've made a lot of progress since Android Auto first

hit the road.

And we're well on our way to establishing Android

as the platform for automotive in old cars, new cars,

and the next generation of cars coming up the road ahead.

But of course, it's not enough to just make Android available

everywhere.

We're also working hard to make sure it's

the best possible experience for our users and our developers.

We've listened to them a lot over the last year,

talking with great developers, like Spotify and others,

to hear what they want to see from Android Auto next.

And today, I'd like to give you a sneak peek at some

of the exciting changes we're making

and what it means for the developer community.

So now, I'd like to invite up Lauren

to tell us where Android is going next.

[APPLAUSE]

LAUREN WUNDERLICH: Good morning, and hello, everyone.

My name is Lauren.

I'm going to be speaking about some of the new challenges

we are facing on the auto space and how we're adjusting them.

We've spoken before about why we building Android Auto.

And at the core of our experience

is our overarching commitment to bringing a safe and connected

experience to every vehicle.

This is particularly important, as the primary responsibility

of the driver is to drive.

Everything else we do is secondary.

To really highlight this, we showed a photo

of a driver playing Pokemon Go during one of our research

sessions.

Don't worry, everyone was safe.

We were parked.

But this extreme example showcases the struggle

we face while balancing the tension we

feel between balancing our digital and our physical lives.

By developing strategies to manage attention,

we can provide a safer in-car experience

to keep drivers connected.

And as you heard from Patrick, screens

are getting bigger, wider, taller, more shapes, and more

inputs, such as touchpad.

We are starting to think about how to evolve our UI to better

scale and adapt for the future.

The best part is, as developers, you

don't have to worry about these layout changes, display size

variants, or even supporting those input mechanisms,

because the Android Auto platform takes

on these challenges for you.

Furthermore, we're looking to see where

Android Auto is going next.

As part of our commitment to developing the best possible

in-vehicle experience, we are developing

a built-in experience that feels more at home in the cockpit.

So I'd like to introduce our new Google In-Car Concept.

From design's point of view, the goal of this concept

is to adopt Android Auto's design

to a vehicle-specific theme.

This includes additional ergonomic details

and nods to the vehicle's interior design.

We can leverage these vehicle concepts to prove out

new features and designs, working with our partners

to bring them to life.

And besides abstracting hardware complexity,

we're also thinking about how to enhance our core experiences

and introduce new ways to promote your content.

Today, we'll be highlighting some of the updates

to messaging and media experiences.

But be sure to stay tuned as we roll out

all of these updates this year.

For a live demo of these vehicles,

including a preview of this onscreen experience,

stop over to the Android Auto Sandbox.

As part of helping drivers stay connected,

with user interfaces that are safer and more predictable,

we have developed multiple ways for you

to integrate with Android Auto, depending

on the nature of your service.

For navigation apps, we work directly

with developers to ensure they follow our strict distraction

guidelines.

And you can also integrate with the Google Assistant,

which is voice-centric and ideal for in-car use.

Be sure to check out their sessions this year at I/O.

Messaging and media make up the largest number of apps.

And today, we'll be speaking about the updates we've made

to both of those experiences.

So let's dive in.

Beginning with messaging updates, communication apps,

like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messages,

integrate with a messaging template

and are displayed via notifications.

Notifications require less effort

and are highly visible throughout the experience.

We've improved the notification layer this year,

including more and unified actions.

More and unified actions across the surfaces

help drivers react to incoming content

without ever leaving their current experience.

And group messaging, a feature developers and drivers

have been asking for--

now you can stay connected with multiple people

at the same time.

Media apps, like Spotify, Pandora, Pocket Casts,