What you need to know
- Android Auto seems to be starting to pick up support for quick responses.
- The new feature provides contextual reply suggestions for messages, powered by Google Assistant.
- Quick responses were not shown until December.
Google has finally started rolling out a handy Android Auto feature for your car after announcing it at the end of last year, so you can quickly respond to messages with one-touch response suggestions.
Android Auto’s Smart Reply feature is now live for a number of users, especially those who have updated to the latest beta version of the app (v7.6.1215), according to 9to5Google. These quick replies appear in the form of an emoji or a short sentence when you tap a message and have Google Assistant read it aloud.
If you feel that a suggested reply matches the message you want to send, simply tap it. The reply is then sent via your default messaging app.
Otherwise, you can press the “Custom Answer” button above the suggestions if you need to create a different answer than the one suggested by Google. It will then take you back to the old method of dictating your message to the assistant.
The experience is very similar to Google Messages on Android, suggesting responses based on the context of the message you receive.
The feature was teased in December as part of a massive announcement about a number of new Android features, including the rollout of Family Bell for Android phones. This feature was previously only available on Google’s smart home devices.
While quick responses may have taken some time to arrive, they help reduce distraction when you need to return to someone while driving. Android Police pointed out, however, that the suggested answers can sometimes be illogical and not exactly what you want to use.