Fewer apps and more focus on voice commands

It's official: Google Driving Assist, Google Assistant Driving mode, will be permanently closed during February, as indicated by a new banner on the app's home screen. The banner, recently spotted by an AndroidPolice tipster, appears on the familiar home screen of Google Assistant's driving mode and clearly states The imminent end of the interface. However, it seems that it will not be completely eliminated, according to the latest updates shared by Google itself.

According to the source certificates, it is now possible to delete it by simply clicking on the x button inside it. There is no additional information available in the banner, and no link to a more detailed explanation. Here's a follow-up shot.

Although there is no specific date, it is possible that the service will be closed as early as February 1, but it must be said that if this was the plan, the company would likely have started displaying the banner much earlier. Given that the signal only appears on the main drive mode screen, it's possible that other parts remain intact, for example the music controls, but this is just a hypothesis.

The Google Assistant Driving Mode home screen can be launched by starting in-car navigation on Google Maps and then pressing the button with four squares in the bottom right corner, as described by Google on the Help page. This is the latest iteration of a series of changes to driving-optimized interfaces on Android, following the shutdown of the Android Auto smartphone UI and subsequent removal of the assistive driving control panel.

02/02

the site 9to6Google I contacted the company for information about the change, which explained that there would be no cutoff in the assisted driving mode. Assisted driving mode is the black bar that appears at the bottom of Google Maps during navigation.

This was able to open a launcher containing a network of apps, including third-party apps, and shortcuts to calls and messages. Media apps let you search for songs and other content, while also providing a full-screen playback interface. These items, along with the launcher, will disappear on February 7th.

What will remain is the black bar, as the main purpose of Google Assistant's Driving mode is to provide quick access to voice commands, and there will be no changes to how you activate it. Fortunately, you'll still have access to the quick media controls above the black bar. So the goal is to simplify with excellent security and put more pressure on voice commands. In fact, the assisted driving mode does not “technically” disappear, but it will be reduced.