Android Auto expands to dozens of countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia

The Google-powered vehicle operating system is effectively doubling its coverage area

By Andrew J. Hawkins@andyjayhawk

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Android Auto, the Google-powered software system for cars, is expanding to dozens of new markets around the world, the company announced. In the coming months, Android Auto will be available in 36 additional countries, including much of Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and a handful of countries in Africa.

Here’s the list of countries that will soon be getting Android Auto:

• Europe: Albania, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ukraine
• Asia: Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia
• Africa: Angola, Botswana

Google is effectively doubling the number of countries in the world where customers can access Android Auto. It’s a sign that the company is feeling bullish about the future of its vehicle interface. Google recently announced that the latest version of its operating system, Android 11, will allow any smartphone owner to connect wirelessly to Android Auto, as long as the connecting vehicle includes a head unit that supports 5GHz Wi-Fi.

Google is also working with automakers to produce more cars with natively installed Android Auto. Google struck deals with Volvo and Audi to start rolling out these systems, and over the last year, we’ve seen a few examples of what they will look like.