Bring your Android game to the... Note

Bring your Android game to the car screen today

The games category for Android Auto and Android Automotive OS has moved from beta to general availability. Developers can now publish games to these platforms, reaching users during natural downtime in their vehicles. To adapt an existing Android game, developers need to configure their app manifest and ensure the game respects the vehicle's parked state. The manifest must declare the app as a game using the android:appCategory="game" attribute.Support for Android Auto is declared by including the android.intent.category.CAR_LAUNCHER category element in an activity's intent filter. For Android Automotive OS, the android.hardware.automotive element must be included in the manifest. Games are considered parked apps and cannot run while the vehicle is in motion to prevent driver distraction. Developers should ensure their game audio stops when the user starts driving and does not unpause while the vehicle is in motion.Additionally, games must restore their state when relaunched after UX restrictions are active and be responsive without freezing or stuttering. Declaring controller support via the android.hardware.gamepad feature can boost app visibility for users seeking controller-compatible games. Games should also be adaptive to various car screen sizes and aspect ratios, running full screen without letterboxing or pillarboxing.Before submitting to production, developers must opt in to Android Auto and Android Automotive OS form factors in the Google Play Console and test their games against car app quality guidelines. The Desktop Head Unit and Android Automotive OS emulator are available for thorough testing. Games will be reviewed against the car app quality guidelines for the games category before approval.