I did a 1000-mile round trip testing Android Auto against Apple CarPlay: one platform won the road

A reporter spent 1000 miles testing Android Auto against Apple CarPlay, finding one platform clearly superior. After numerous city commutes, the reporter wanted to see how these platforms performed during long road trips, pushing them beyond typical grocery runs and office commutes. The reporter tested both systems in real-world conditions, establishing rules for consistency: using the same car, infotainment system, and software versions throughout the journey.

The reporter used a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with Android Auto and an iPhone 17 with Apple CarPlay, both running the latest software. Both platforms ran wirelessly, as that's how the reporter normally uses them. The focus was on everyday driving tasks over long distances, including navigation, music playback, voice commands, incoming calls, and notifications.

Apple CarPlay's new Liquid Glass interface looked gorgeous on the car's infotainment screen, with refined animations and a polished interface. However, it lacked flexibility compared to Android Auto's dashboard, which offered widgets for appointments, reminders, and updates without interrupting navigation. Android Auto's interface seemed dated next to Apple's modern design language, but it provided essential functionality and useful information.

Android Auto's Gemini voice assistant impressed the reporter, understanding natural language and working seamlessly with frequently used apps. It handled complex commands effortlessly, describing a movie scene and finding a corresponding song on YouTube Music. Siri, on the other hand, struggled with complex tasks and required careful phrasing of requests.

Music playback was another area where Android Auto excelled. The reporter's offline music collection managed through Poweramp worked perfectly, with excellent equalizer controls fine-tuned for the car's speakers. While CarPlay handled music streaming well, Android Auto's flexibility with Poweramp made a difference on the return journey.

After 1000 miles behind the wheel, Android Auto emerged as the clear winner for the reporter. While Apple CarPlay has visually appealing features and useful widgets, its limitations in voice assistance, flexibility, and music integration fell short during long-distance road trips. Ultimately, Android Auto fit the reporter's driving habits better, with powerful voice assistance, seamless app integration, and customizable music options winning over Apple CarPlay in this real-world test.