“Android Auto has hidden app testing settings
If your Android phone has a hidden section with developer settings, apps like Android Auto have similar settings. With one difference: changing these settings can affect your driving and the associated crash risk. That’s why Google displays a warning when Developer Mode is activated in Android Auto.
“At Xataka Android, we’ve broken down how Android Auto behaves and recommended the best apps, even those that aren’t on Google Play. We’ve also delved into Developer Settings – a series of options that essentially unleash Google’s infotainment system. It’s worth knowing what they do and what they mean.
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Developer settings can make Android Auto unstable
They’re called developer settings because they’re for people who want to test their apps to make sure they work before uploading them to the Play Store. In this mode, Google includes a number of experimental features that replace the normal use of Android Auto to create a test environment that allows you to anticipate and fix any bugs. However, as with Android Developer Settings, there are options that benefit everyone.
Enabling Developer Settings provides a warning called a ‘disclaimer’, which is a warning that using the software in a way that the developer did not intend puts you at risk. This warning removes Google’s liability if anything happens to the app or the connected car while the settings are active.
But is it really less safe if developer settings are enabled in Android Auto? Not exactly, it all depends on which settings you enable. Settings that might be useful in normal use don’t pose a major risk when driving, but if, for example, you wanted to try an experimental app and force the debug log on, that would be a different story.
Enabling developer settings in Android Auto does not pose a risk to driving, nor do the options you enable as a user.
The activation alert has an informative and warning function and does not in itself pose a greater risk to driving. As with most things, it all depends on how you use the developer settings. If you follow our recommendations, everything should be fine.
