Google has started rolling out Android Auto 16.3 through the beta track and while there are no major changes, there are a couple of hints at what’s to come, including the arrival of video apps.
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
With Android Auto 16.2 now starting to roll out more widely in the stable release channel, Google has launched Android Auto 16.3 in the beta track. And, as is often the case, there are no significant user-facing changes to be found. It’s usually safe to assume there are a few bug fixes here or there, but this is a pretty uneventful update as far as we can tell.
Behind the scenes, though, there are a couple of noteworthy tidbits.
Firstly, there’s a sign of continued work on Android Auto’s light theme, something that’s been in the works for well over a year at this point. A flag present in Android Auto 16.3 suggests Google is still working on a light/dark theme toggle, but there’s nothing facing the user just yet.
“Coolwalk__use_light_dark_theme_focus_input”
There have been tidbits around the light theme for some time now, though, so another flag showing up doesn’t mean much beyond Google just continuing to tinker around with the feature.
More notable is that Google has added another flag around video apps on Android Auto.
“CradleFeature__allow_video_apps”
Google announced in May 2025 that video apps would be coming to Android Auto, but there was not set timeline available, nor many details on how it would all work. It still stands to reason that video apps on the car’s display won’t work while the car is in motion, but this flag certainly suggests that Google is actively working on support, it just doesn’t tell us much about when it might arrive.
What video apps are you looking forward to on Android Auto?
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