In todays era of rapid digital development, Googles operating system has become a hot topic in the tech world due to its outstanding performance and openness, especially in the automotive sector where the rise of Android Automotive has drawn significant attention. So, why is Android Automotive so popular, and what challenges has it brought?
1.Why is Android Automotive now a hot topic?
Android Automotives core appeal lies in its open Play store, which provides an easy way for OEMs and startups to quickly deploy a large number of apps in their cars without having to develop proprietary operating systems from scratch.
This "extremely fast" model allows OEMs to directly leverage the rich existing applications in the Play store, and for those not publicly available, they can be easily installed on any Android Automotive system. This is undoubtedly a win-win situation for manufacturers and app developers, with its importance growing as it becomes more widely used.
2.Android Automotives hidden worry: data sovereignty
However, the development of Android Automotive has not been smooth sailing. The issue of data sovereignty has become a core concern. Using an Android Automotive application requires only a Google account, and the information aggregated through this account is handed over to Google. This has raised concerns among some OEMs,who fear that user privacy data and critical vehicle data will be controlled by Google, thus losing their data sovereignty. Moreover, some OEMs are also wary of the threat of application monopolies and are unwilling to overly rely on Googles ecosystem, which to some extent limits the widespread adoption of Android Automotive.
3.Facing the challenge: the choice between GAS and NON-GAS
In this context, OEMs face two options when integrating Android Automotive OS: use a system that is fully integrated with Google (GAS), or develop an independent system based on Android that does not use Google services (NON-GAS).
While GAS systems can enjoy Googles rich application ecosystem and convenient upgrade services, for OEMs with strict requirements on data sovereignty, NON-GAS systems become another option.
The NON-GAS system, while free from the constraints of Google services, still faces numerous challenges. In this system, the operating system is essentially a Android-based system without the Google Car service. This forces developers to provide multiple alternative app stores for the NON-GAS system, increasing the complexity of development and maintenance. Moreover, implementing in-flight upgrades is more difficult in the NON-GAS system, as this feature is handled through the Play store in the Google Car system. In the NON-GAS system, either an alternative app store must be found to handle this function or the in-flight upgrade capability must be built from scratch, which undoubtedly increases technical difficulty and cost investment.
Android Automotive OS In the automotive field, its application is a double-edged sword. Android Automotive With its openness and rapid deployment capabilities, it provides strong impetus for the intelligent development of the automotive industry, but data sovereignty and potential monopoly risks cannot be overlooked. When OEMs choose between GAS or NON-GAS systems, they need to weigh the pros and cons and find the path best suited to their own development.
In the future, as technology continues to advance and industry standards continue to improve, it is worth our continued attention to how Google operating system will evolve in the automotive field.
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