Android Auto and Android Automotive (which are not the same thing by the way) have been very popular in cars. Those services allow users to use third-party apps on screens inside the car and are very useful when driving so you don’t have to look at your phone for navigation, music controls, and other features.
However, although motorbike riders also need navigation as well, so far Android Auto or Automotive have not been available for bikers. Well, not anymore, as now KTM is the first bike manufacturer to include Android Automotive with some of its models. KTM, a popular Austrian motorcycle brand, has just announced a new Communication Control Unit (CCU) for its new TFT Dashboard in horizontal or vertical avatars, which will first come with its upcoming premium bikes. The upgraded CCU features 32 gigs of internal storage, 3 gigs of RAM, and connectivity features like eSIM, GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.
The best thing about this upgrade though is that the CCU would allow the TFT Dashboard to run Android Automotive.
Android Automotive is an OS with open source, which means anyone can use it and integrate it, but has not been available on motorcycles before. Although it coming to KTM bikes is great news, there’s a catch: KTM doesn’t mention that this will make a motorcycle with “Google built-in” which usually is the branding for Google apps added to Android Automotive. Which simply means that there won’t be Google apps preloaded on the device.
KTM also includes an offline map navigation integrated into the CCU, which means you can get real-time navigation without syncing or tethering to a mobile phone. This can help you set up route guidance and route planning, as well as preprogrammed Points of Interest and more.
The CCU will seamlessly reconnect with your smartphone on every ignition cycle. This will also make it easier to update functions and features of the motorcycle, as in the future, the bike will be able to receive OTA updates directly (at first, those will be done through the KTM dealer though).
Having a familiar OS interface such as Android Automotive coming to a bike is very good news. As a bike fan (from those who never miss MotoGP races on Sundays), I’m happy to find out that a dashboard with Android Automotive will be coming to KTM bikes.
Of course, I’d love Google apps built-in in the future, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Right now, bikers are forced to either use smartphones/watches for Google Maps or rely on a third-party head unit (which is easy to steal from a bike) to get navigation. The integrated dashboard with the functionality will make many people happy, I reckon.
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