Android Auto is preparing a small but welcome personalization upgrade that would let drivers choose their navigation vehicle icon directly from the car’s display, rather than digging through Google Maps on a phone first. Clues inside the latest Android Auto release indicate a new in-dash “Driving avatar” setting is in the works, pointing to a more seamless way to switch from the default blue arrow to a car, truck, or SUV in your preferred color.
What the New In-Car Navigation Avatar Picker Does
Strings and UI components discovered in Android Auto version 16.2.660604-release reference a dedicated Driving avatar option within navigation settings. Early evidence suggests the in-car selector mirrors the phone experience in Google Maps, offering the same roster of vehicle shapes and paint hues. In test builds, the interface appears polished and aligned with the platform’s navigation design language, even if it is not yet visible to most users.
Notably, the avatar choice seems to sync to a user’s Google account. Change the icon on your dashboard and it should show up on your phone; adjust it on your phone and the car will match. That account-level link means drivers won’t need to repeat setup across vehicles or rentals that support Android Auto.
Why This Minor Tweak Matters for Android Auto Users
Personalization has become a subtle but powerful lever in in-car software. Swapping a generic arrow for a vehicle that looks like yours is purely cosmetic, yet it makes navigation feel more tailored and easier to identify at a glance. Reducing friction also counts: burying the setting on the phone leads many users to ignore it; moving the control to the dashboard encourages quick adjustments before a trip.
There’s also a consistency story. Android Auto aims to keep experiences unified across phones and head units. A synchronized avatar complements broader efforts like account-based media preferences and recent routes that follow you between devices.
How It Compares to Today’s Options Across Platforms
Today, Google Maps already supports custom vehicle icons on phones, and those selections carry over into Android Auto sessions. The limitation is control: you must set it up on the handset first. By contrast, the new in-car picker places the entire flow—browse, preview, and confirm—on the vehicle screen where it’s most relevant.
This also brings Android Auto closer to the experience Apple users know. Apple Maps lets iPhone owners switch the navigation icon, and that choice appears on CarPlay. Offering a first-party picker inside the car closes a small but noticeable parity gap.
Safety and Usability Considerations for In-Car Controls
Cosmetic toggles can still raise driver-distraction questions. Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has shown that complex infotainment interactions can increase eyes-off-road time. The avatar control appears to be a simple, set-and-forget preference that users would change when parked, aligning with Android Auto’s broader guardrails that disable most setup tasks while the vehicle is in motion.
From a technical standpoint, the feature likely relies on server-side flags. That approach allows Google to stage rollouts, monitor stability, and quickly disable the setting for a subset of users if bugs surface—useful given prior instances where interface icons intermittently disappeared for some drivers.
When You Might See It Arrive in Android Auto Updates
Because the avatar picker is not yet user-facing, timing remains uncertain. Historically, Android Auto feature flags begin appearing weeks before a wider launch, and availability can vary by region, language, and vehicle head unit. Even once enabled, it could arrive in waves to a small % of users before expanding.
For now, the takeaway is clear: Android Auto is edging toward richer, lower-friction personalization that keeps common navigation tweaks inside the car. If you enjoy setting an aspirational red SUV for your daily commute—or just want a clearer visual anchor on the map—the coming in-dash picker should make that choice quicker and more intuitive.
As always with pre-release findings, plans can change. But the presence of a dedicated setting, complete UI, and account sync hints that this is more than an experiment—and likely the next small quality-of-life upgrade on Android Auto’s roadmap.
