Your car’s infotainment screen is probably smarter than you think. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay ship with a surprising number of new and established features that most drivers scroll past, ignore entirely, or never discover because nobody told them to look. They are not hidden behind paywalls or buried in obscure menus. They are right there, waiting.

Here are the ones worth your attention.

Hands-free voice commands in Android Auto and CarPlay go way beyond directions

Hey Google: what Android Auto’s voice commands can actually do

Most Android Auto users know they can tap the microphone icon to trigger Google Assistant (which is increasingly powered by Google’s Gemini AI). Fewer know they can skip that step entirely. If “Hey Google” isn’t responding, check your phone’s settings for “Assistant” or “Android Auto” to make sure the driving-mode wake word is enabled.

It’s good for more than just directions. You can send messages, make calls, play specific songs or podcasts, ask questions, and add reminders, all hands-free. The system is smart enough to read incoming messages aloud and lets you dictate a reply without your eyes leaving the road.

If Hey Google is not responding, open the Google app on your phone, go to Settings, then Voice, and verify that Hey Google is enabled for driving mode.

One impressive feature: You can now say “Hey Google, share my journey”, and it will automatically send a real-time tracking link to a contact via Google Maps.

Siri integration on CarPlay also goes well beyond “call Mom.” You can ask Siri to read your recent messages, find a nearby gas station, add a stop to your route, play a specific album or station, set a reminder for when you get home, or announce your estimated arrival to a contact.

Most people ignore it, but the announcement feature is a lifesaver. Say “Hey Siri, let [contact] know I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” and it will pull your navigation ETA and send a message automatically. You never touch the screen.

Impressively, Siri can now handle multiple commands in a single go. Instead of two separate prompts, try: “Hey Siri, text Sarah I’m five minutes away and play my ‘Road Trip’ playlist.” The key here is speed. Don’t wait for Siri to acknowledge the first half; just say the whole string as one sentence.

There is also a Do Not Disturb While Driving mode in iOS that works alongside CarPlay to suppress distracting notifications while still letting Siri read messages aloud when you ask. You can configure it in Settings -> Focus -> Driving on your iPhone.

Split-screen views and home screen customization have arrived on both platforms

The CarPlay Dashboard: a persistent split view you may have missed

Most drivers used to look for a “split-screen” button, but Android Auto now uses a dynamic tile system (codenamed “Coolwalk”). If you have a widescreen display, it happens automatically.

You no longer need a grid icon in Android Auto. Instead of a static grid, look for the icon in the corner — it’s usually a square or a circle. Tapping it toggles you between your full map and the multi-app dashboard.

Another note about the new tiles: they are contextualized. This means they don’t just show media; they also suggest destinations or show a “Share ETA” button based on your calendar.

On the Apple side, everyone knows the company is notorious for locking down its devices. However, CarPlay’s home screen is one thing you can actually rearrange. Go to Settings on your iPhone, tap General, then CarPlay, select your car, and you will see a grid of your CarPlay apps. Press and hold any app icon to drag it to a new position, just like rearranging apps on your phone.

You can also remove apps from CarPlay entirely without deleting them from your phone. If you never use certain apps while driving, clearing them out reduces clutter and makes the apps you do use faster to reach. It takes about two minutes and makes your CarPlay experience feel noticeably cleaner.

There’s also the new CarPlay “Dashboard,” which you can find by swiping all the way to the left from your main app grid. The Dashboard provides a permanent split view of your Maps, Siri Suggestions, “Now Playing” audio, smart home controls, and other goodies. It’s the closest CarPlay has come to offering a “Home” screen. A word of caution: the Dashboard completely removes you from the main app grid, which takes some getting used to. Luckily, you can go back to that view by swiping right.

How to set up wireless Android Auto and CarPlay (and what you need for a stable connection)

The Bluetooth-plus-Wi-Fi setup most drivers skip

If you are still tethered to a USB cable every time you get behind the wheel, you might be following a habit rather than a technical requirement. While wireless connectivity was once a finicky luxury, it has become a standard, streamlined feature for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

It all starts with Bluetooth. Just pair your phone with your car’s system for the first time as you normally would for hands-free calling. Once they’re connected, the two will realize they’re wireless-compatible and automatically pop up a prompt on your screen to start your first session.

The secret to a stable connection is keeping both your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles enabled on your phone at all times. While Bluetooth initiates the connection, Wi-Fi provides the bandwidth needed to stream high-resolution maps and lossless audio without lag. On CarPlay, Siri must also be enabled.

If your car doesn’t support this yet, the barrier to entry is lower than ever. Small, affordable wireless adapters can now be plugged into your car’s existing USB data port, effectively “converting” a wired-only system into a wireless one in seconds. This minor change saves you the hassle of digging your phone out of your pocket, letting your dashboard spring to life the moment you start the engine.

Android Auto’s dark mode can switch automatically — here’s how to configure it

How to turn on automatic dark mode in Android Auto

Android Auto’s display adapts between a light daytime theme and a dark nighttime theme based on your car’s ambient light sensor, your phone’s time settings, or manually through preferences. Dark mode is easier on the eyes at night and significantly reduces glare on glossy screens.

If your car’s infotainment display has never seemed to dim or shift in response to nighttime driving, it may be because the automatic trigger is based on settings you have not configured. Open Android Auto settings on your phone, go to Dark Theme, and choose Automatic, Always On, or Always Off depending on your preference.

How to share your real-time location from CarPlay using just your voice

Ask Siri to send a live location link while you navigate

This one surprises a lot of people. When you are navigating with CarPlay, and someone texts you asking where you are, Siri can respond with your real-time location without you opening Messages, Maps, or any other app.

Just say, “Hey Siri, share my location with [contact].” It sends a shareable location link through iMessage. The recipient can see where you are and track your movement in real time through the Messages app.

This is genuinely useful when you are running late and someone is waiting, and it requires zero interaction with the screen.

Fueling apps and pay-at-the-pump features are built in, too

Google Maps and Apple Maps are the defaults, but you are not stuck with them. Waze, TomTom Go, and a few others are fully supported on both platforms and work natively on the car’s display.

On CarPlay, third-party navigation apps appear in the available apps list automatically once you install them on your iPhone. On Android Auto, the same applies. The apps can also serve as the default navigation app for voice commands, though the path to changing that default varies by platform and occasionally requires a workaround.

If you prefer Waze’s traffic alerts and community-sourced hazard warnings over the built-in navigation experience, installing it and selecting it on your car’s screen is all it takes.

I’d also like to mention that both platforms now support fueling and mileage apps. Additionally, you can often pay for gas directly from the dashboard screen at participating stations (such as Shell and Chevron) without ever pulling out your credit card or phone.

The bottom line

Neither Android Auto nor CarPlay holds back its best features. The split-screen layout, wireless connectivity, advanced Siri and Google Assistant commands, home screen customization, and location sharing are all sitting in the same interface you use every day. It just takes a few minutes to play around with the menus and create a largely customized experience.

The next time you are parked and not in a rush, spend five minutes poking around your settings. There is a reasonable chance you will find at least one feature that changes how you use your car.