Whether a trip feels long can depend on where you live, or rather, where you drive. You will also get different answers about how many miles of driving is based on who you ask.
For many new drivers, mental load is often a more important factor when deciding what counts as a “long drive.” In that case, a 15- to 20-minute continuous drive could feel like a lot.
Regardless of what you count as a “long drive,” there are ways to remedy mental fatigue during driving. To do it, a car with Android Auto support and an Android phone are all that you need.
Android Auto still has plenty of flaws, but it can reduce mental fatigue during driving. This, in turn, can make long trips more fun.
Here are the five Android Auto features that make long trips not just bearable, but enjoyable.
17 essential Android Auto apps every driver and passenger needs
Going for a drive? Take these apps with you
Start Android Auto automatically
Not every car supports Android Auto, but if yours does, make sure you use it to its full potential to enjoy long trips.
The less friction there is, the more Android Auto feels like a solid companion for a long drive.
For this, the first thing you’d want to do is make sure Android Auto starts without you even touching your phone. This doesn’t happen automatically, because you’ll need to tweak the Android Auto settings to do it.
To ensure Android Auto starts automatically, follow the steps below:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Type Android Auto in the search box, then tap it.
- Look for the Start Android Auto automatically option in the Start-up section and tap it.
- Set Start Android Auto automatically to Always.
In addition, you need to allow Android Auto to start even when your phone is locked. The Start Android Auto while locked toggle is available in the Start-up section of Android Auto settings.
Notification control
Driving is fun, enjoyable, and safe when you are not distracted. That means you must not allow anything that distracts you.
If you receive lots of messages throughout the day from friends or colleagues, those message notifications can ruin your long drive experience.
If you are new to Android Auto, you may not even realize that those notifications are obstacles sooner than you ideally should.
Whether you have experience or not, you can make your long trips not only bearable but also more enjoyable simply by telling Android Auto to stop showing message notifications and group conversations.
To do so, go to your phone settings, open Android Auto, scroll to the bottom to find the Messaging section, and turn off the Show message notifications toggle.
When you turn off the above feature, it disables the Show group conversations toggle automatically.
When both these options are disabled, Android Auto won’t show notifications, neither from an individual nor a group, helping you stay focused.
Night mode
If you drive your car for long hours, especially on highways at night, don’t always trust the default setup of the Day/Night mode for maps setting.
If your car doesn’t have native Android Auto support, and you have an aftermarket Android Auto unit, the infotainment system may not always switch the Maps to dark when you turn on the headlights.
This is where the default Automatic mode in the Day/Night mode for maps fails. If that’s the case, your best bet is to enforce the Night view.
To do this, open Android Auto, scroll, and find the Maps option. Tap Day/Night mode for maps, and select the Night option.
Night mode is better for your eyes during night driving, as it puts less strain on your eyes. This, in turn, helps you focus better and lessen the overall driver fatigue.
Peace of mind is important when you do something that requires you to be focused. The fewer the unknowns when you drive, the better.
You can’t control whether the network strength will be ideal throughout your journey on a given day. This is why it’s always better to follow steps that help you overcome situations where there is a poor network connection.
If you know your destination, download the map area on Google Maps on your Android phone while connected to Wi-Fi.
You won’t get Live traffic updates, dynamic rerouting based on congestion, or real-time incident alerts on an offline map.
However, the turn-by-turn navigation works in the offline mode, so there is no chance of you taking the wrong route to reach the destination.
Even with all the right preparation, long trips can be boring. So, you need some entertainment, and listening to songs is the safest form of it when you drive.
Don’t rely fully on network strength. Download your favorite tracks before starting a long trip to listen to them in offline mode when the signal drops.
Don’t try to download a map or your favorite media while driving. Do it before you even get in the car.
If you love playing music while driving, you’ll also need to make sure the Start music automatically toggle is enabled. This is available in the Start-up section in the Android Auto settings.
Android Auto voice commands
Android Auto supports ‘Hey Google’ detection if you have a compatible car. It allows you to control many Android Auto features using your voice.
This means you don’t need to take your eyes off the road to use your infotainment system and make a call or get driving directions. You can control them using your voice.
Go to the Android Auto settings and set up ‘Hey Google’ detection if you haven’t already. This will allow you to say “Hey Google,” followed by a command like “Get directions to home.”
In addition to calls and driving directions, you can use your voice to make a call, send a message, and start or stop listening to music.
If you get bored listening to music during long trips, you can also chat with the digital assistant. For example, if you drive to a famous location, you can ask Google to tell you some interesting facts about the site.
You can also put it to use to brainstorm ideas and seek feedback on a speech that you plan to give at a wedding.
It understands details and complex questions, so you can ask whatever comes to your mind using your voice.
Quickly fix what makes long trips tiring
Preparation is key when you plan a long trip. All the above features may sound small in the kind of impact they have, but they are very useful when you drive your car for hours.
You don’t have to dig deep into Android Auto settings to discover and enable any of these features. You should be able to tweak all these settings in a minute.
The underrated Android Auto features are actually a quick fix to what can make your long trips tiring.
Fix everything that makes driving unbearable, and you’ll start enjoying your trips, no matter if it’s a long or a short one. Android Auto is just one way to get it right.