Android Automotive 14 release details

This page summarizes new major features provided in Android Automotive 14.

Features

Car framework

Display and Window Manager

  1. Concurrent multi-user SysUI and Lock screen.
  2. Rear-seat input lock.
  3. Special input handling.
  4. Support rear-seat input lock and the sharing of Special input key handling for concurrent multi-users in single AAOS instances.
  5. Display and task mirroring. Support Display and Task Mirroring for concurrent multi-users in a single AAOS instance.
  6. Multi-user IME. Support a multi-user IME for concurrent multi-users in a single AAOS instance.
  7. Enable TaskView on a secondary home or passenger display.

Audio

To learn more, see the new Audio pages on source.android.com.

  1. Dynamic volume. Support dynamic volume range configurability for each audio stream or bus.
  2. Dynamic audio zones. Support dynamic audio zones for concurrent multi-users.
  3. Audio sharing (casting). Allow for a passenger to share (cast) audio to the main cabin.
  4. Multi-display audio mirroring. Allow passengers using different audio headsets to listen to the same audio at the same time.

Concurrent media sessions

  1. Added support for per-user concurrent media sessions in a single AAOS instance.

Power

  1. Custom power component in power policy. The current power policy supports 16 pre-defined power components. OEMs can exclude components when updating the power state of OEM components.
  2. Optimized suspend-to-disk with performance improvements.
  3. Remote access. Enabled the ability for Android to be remotely awoken by an external request and then shutdown when the remote request is completed. To learn more, see Set Up Remote Access.

Performance

  1. Lightweight system health profiling. Introduced a lightweight system health tool whose output can be collected through a bugreport to provide a better snapshot of system performance.

CarPropertyManager improvements

  1. Added improvements to the CarPropertyManager and CarPropertyService stacks. Added new APIs to the CarPropertyManager to support fake VHAL mode in Car Service, added an async get/set property in CarPropertyManager, as well as a custom vendor error code.

Camera

  1. EVS frame buffer metadata. CarEvsBufferDescriptor makes frame metadata available to Android clients.

Sensors, location, and VHAL properties

To learn more about VHAL properties, see Supported system properties.

  1. Added these non-ADAS vehicle properties to the VHAL:
    1. Exterior properties. Added Window properties, Mirror properties, and Door properties.
    2. Interior properties. Added properties for Steering Wheel, Glove Box, and Seats.
    3. Electric vehicle properties. Added EV properties for Braking, Acceleration, and Battery.
    4. Other properties. Added a property for Engine Idle.
    5. Updated version of broken vehicle property. Updated or fixed this VHAL property:
      Property Description
      SEAT_HEADREST_HEIGHT_POS_V2 Added this new area type for seat.
  2. Added new ADAS-related vehicle properties to enable OEMs to represent activation status and the system state. To learn more, see ADAS vehicle properties.
    Property Description
    Automatic emergency braking (AEB) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the AEB system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the vehicle detects a potential collision and responds by autonomously activating the brakes to avoid a collision.
    Forward collision warning (FCW) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the FCW system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the FCW system generates a visual, auditory, or haptic alert when it detects a potential collision with an object ahead.
    Blind spot warning (BSW). Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the BSW system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the BSW system generates a visual or auditory warning that it's unsafe to merge or change lanes when an object is detected in the driver's blind spot.
    Lane departure warning (LDW) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the LDW system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the LDW system generates a visual, auditory, or haptic warning as the vehicle approaches or crosses a lane line.
    Lane keep assist (LKA) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the LKA system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the LKA system autonomously initiates a steering correction to prevent the vehicle from unintentionally drifting out of its lane.
    Lane centering assist (LCA) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the LCA system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when a driver activates the LCA system which autonomously controls steering to keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
    Emergency lane keep assist (E-LKA) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share the E-LKA system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the E-LKA system autonomously applies a steering adjustment to keep the vehicle in the current lane during an overtake or lane change to avoid a potential collision in the driver's blind spot or to avoid oncoming traffic.
    Adaptive cruise control (ACC) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share ACC system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when a driver activates the ACC system to autonomously adjust the vehicle's speed to maintain a safe distance from a vehicle ahead.
    Hand on detection (HOD) Properties provide OEMs a standardized interface to share HOD system activation and system state with the IVI, such as when the HOD system generates a visual, auditory, or haptic warning when it detects no hands on the steering wheel.
  3. Location for concurrent multi-users:
    1. Allows users of each display to independently control access to their location.
    2. Driver Assistance switch is limited to the driver only.

Concurrent multi-user system reference

To learn more, see Android Automotive multi-user on multiple displays.

  1. Passenger reference launcher and recent apps.

System UI and core apps improvements

  1. Updated System UI:
    1. Heads-up notifications (HUN) throttling and suppression. Developed an OEM-configurable mechanism to prevent the overlapping on HUNs and the sending of HUNs to drivers at inopportune times.
    2. Quick action. Added the ability for apps to display quick actions.
      1. Stop app. Added the affordance to stop an app from a quick action.
  2. Updated core system apps:
    1. App launcher personalization. Added the ability for a user to reorder the location of apps within the Launcher.
    2. Unresponsive app management.
    3. IVI reset. Added the ability for a user to restart the infotainment system from Settings
    4. Added a privacy chip with Immersive mode.
  3. Provided a reference design for an automotive infotainment system.

AAOS baseline

  1. Defined the common denominator for the major partitions (system, system_ext, and product) in the Android Automotive OS.

Compliance tests

Android compliance tests were executed on the internal reference hardware. The test suites run for this release include CTS, STS, VTS, and CTS-on-GSI. Android UDC fully passed the compliance test suites with no fixes needed on the Android platform.