Google has been working on an Android Auto 8.7 redesign for years now, which was first leaked in September 2021 and officially announced at I/O 2022. The Coolwalk UI entered beta testing in November 2022, and was announced as a stable release in January 2023. However, the rollout has been slow, with only some users gaining access to the new design weeks after the announcement.
Android Auto 8.7 Update
Google has now released the update to the public through the Play Store, but it does not bring the new Coolkwalk redesign. The new release does not seem to include significant new features or user-facing bug fixes. Importantly, even if theupdate shows up on your phone, it won’t automatically activate the Coolwalk design.
Coolwalk UI Availability
The Coolwalk UI is not linked to your phone’s Android Auto version, with the update components being pushed by Google through a server-side update. Some users report having access to the Coolwalk interface on Android Auto 8.5x. Users can manually sideload Android Auto 8.7 from APKMirror on their phone to see if it activates the new UI.
Slow Rollout
Given that Coolwalk is a major UI revamp of the update, it is understandable why Google is taking so long to roll it out. The company probably wants to ensure the new interface works well across different head units and does not contain any major bugs that could negatively affect the user experience. However, the slow rollout is frustrating users who have been waiting for months to try out the redesign.
Conclusion
Google’s Android Auto 8.7 update has been widely rolled out, but it still doesn’t bring the much-awaited “Coolwalk” redesign. The rollout of the new interface has been slow, with over 90% of our readers and 2,200 of the 2,600 total votes on a Reddit thread not yet having access to “Coolwalk.” Google is rolling out the update slowly to ensure the new interface works well and does not contain any major bugs.
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