The Way You Keep Me Guessing: Coco Teacher!AU
@im-fairly-whitty and I are co-authoring this fic for the monster that is the Coco teacher!AU!!
(AU started by @scribblrhob, with inspiration from @upperstories, @hyucktor and...gosh, I don’t even know how many others now. It’s a fandom-wide monster.)
[Part 1: Unexpected Responsibility] [Part 2: La Directora] [Part 3: Skipping Class] [Part 4: An Unexpected Visit] [Part 5: The Roommate]
Part 6: Día de Muertos (Pt. 1)
“Tío Héctor.”
“Mmph.”
“Tío Héctor, you gotta get up.”
“Mmmmph.”
“It’s Día de Muertos, remember? We’re going back to Santa Cecilia.”
Héctor groans as Miguel jostles his shoulder. He rolls over, pulling his pillow over his head. “Just five more minutes, chamaco. That’s all.”
He hears Miguel give a little huff through his nose, but then the room is mercifully quiet. Héctor, pillow still over his head, starts to sink back into sleep, hardly aware of the footsteps that come back into the room.
“Tía Imelda says that she’s coming in with her boot if you’re not ready in—”
Héctor is out of bed and halfway out of the room the moment Miguel says “boot,” hurriedly gathering clothes before he bolts out of the room. After a moment, he backtracks and pokes his head back into the bedroom.
“Wait. Did you call her Tía Imelda?”
“Yeah?”
“Does she know you’re calling her that?”
Miguel shrugs. “She’s the one who told me to. She said it’s easier, but I can’t do it at school.” He frowns a bit. “Is that weird?”
“Yes.”
Miguel’s eyes widen. “Is it bad?”
“No! No, no, it’s really good. Just…not what I was expecting.” He gives a little smile, then shakes his head. “Bueno, tell Tía Imelda to keep her boot on her foot. I’ll be ready in no time.”
~
They leave ten minutes later than planned, which, despite Imelda’s eyerolling, Héctor says is a victory. He insists Miguel sit in the front for the first leg of the trip—which, Imelda reminds, him isn’t safe for a child as small as Miguel, but two sets of nearly identical puppy-dog eyes are more than even her willpower can handle—and the boy is completely entranced with Imelda’s car. He’s fascinated with the back-up camera, turns the seat heater on, and stares open-mouthed as Imelda connects his iPod to radio without so much as a cord.
“Tío Héctor, why don’t you have a car?” he asks, twisting around to look at Héctor.
“Cars are expensive, chamaco.” He leans forward to grin over Imelda’s shoulder. “Maybe if my boss gave me a raise, I could afford one.”
Imelda snorts, reaching back to push Héctor’s face back. “Maybe if my music teacher would quit gallivanting off on tours, he could save up for one.” She glances up at him in the rearview mirror. “And maybe buy some decent food for his godson, too.”
“Oh! When you and Cruz get famous, I bet you could get a really cool car like this,” Miguel suggests with bright eyes. Héctor laughs and reaches forward to ruffle Miguel’s hair.
“You and I think exactly alike, chamaco.” He sends a grin to the rearview mirror. “Hear that, diosa? When—”
“Don’t call me that, Rivera.”
“—Ernesto and I make it big, we’ll be swimming in cars. Fiats, Mustangs, Porsches.”
“And they’ll all break down because they’re heaps of junk in pretty casing.” Imelda glances down at Miguel. “It’ll be a while before you can think about getting a car, but keep this in mind, Miguel: function is much more important than being flashy.”
“Pfft. Miguelito, listen to your Tío Héctor: there’s no point to having a car if you can’t look good driving it.”
“That’s why your tío doesn’t have a car; he doesn’t look good driving anything.”
“Ah, ah, don’t lie to the boy, diosa. It wasn’t too long ago you said that watching me drive—”
“Héctor!”
“Well, the point is, with cars, appearance is everything.”
The argument bounces back and forth for a while longer, each trying to win Miguel over to their side; Héctor finally wins out by pulling up pictures of classic Mustangs on his phone. After a bit of gloating on Héctor’s part and accusations of him playing dirty on Imelda’s, it’s time to switch seats; Héctor’s limbs were far too long to be tucked up in the back seat any longer.
Something shifts in the second half of the trip; Miguel, who had been chirping in on their conversations after the swap, suddenly goes very quiet. Héctor glances back and finds him with his headphones on, staring very hard at nothing in particular out the window.
Héctor lets out a little sigh. He’d known the distractions couldn’t last the whole drive; this was still the first time Miguel would go home without his parents there to greet him. And his first time seeing them on the ofrenda. And his first time dealing with the waves and waves of “I’m still so sorry” and “pobrecito” and “they still love you, it’s okay to miss them” and…
“Is he—?” Imelda whispers the start of her question, but Héctor presses a finger to his lips and shakes his head. The kid’s already going to have to deal with everyone whispering about him; it doesn’t need to start before they’re already there.
Imelda’s teeth dig into her lower lip as she glances up at the rearview mirror to look at Miguel. She looks just as worried as Héctor feels. Which is…good, yes, but if Miguel catches them looking like this, that’ll just make things worse. So he leans back in his seat with a smile, eyes silently begging Imelda to play along.
“So, directora, I have some new ideas for the music program,” he says, tone nonchalant. “And since you can’t lie and say you have a meeting like you usually do, let me run it by you.”
Imelda groans and rolls her eyes, natural as anything, and Héctor loves her even more for that. “Fine. But the moment you suggest something outside the budget, this conversation’s over.”
“So the fully-sequined outfits for the estudiantina are out?”
“Yes.”
“Qué pena. It really would have put us on the map.”
~
“I always forget how small this place is,” Imelda murmurs as they pull into the town, peering about for the zapateria.
“I don’t,” Héctor says, eyes drifting over to the plaza as they passed it. “Just a little farther and you’ll be there; you can’t miss the giant boot.”
“Are you from Santa Cecilia, too?”
Miguel’s question makes them both jump; he’s been silent for so long, it comes as a surprise. Imelda glances back at him.
“Well, no, though my hometown’s not very far. But I have a friend who moved here.” She looks up and smiles as she sees a sign shaped like a boot, proudly displaying “Rivera: Familia de Zapateros.” She pulls off to the side of the road and parks, then opens her door. “But before I visit her, I need to make sure Héctor doesn’t lose you on the way inside.”
“You have no faith in me, diosa,” Héctor says as he steps out. “As if I could lose…” He peeks over the car to give Miguel a knowing look, but Miguel isn’t there. “Miguel?”
“Over here.”
He turns around to find Miguel standing behind him, and he lets out a breath.
“Ay, don’t scare me like that, chamaco,” he says, pointedly avoiding Imelda’s smug look as he ruffles the boy’s hair and guides him toward the house. “If I have a heart attack before getting you inside, Tía Elena will kill me.”
Miguel manages to let out a little laugh, then looks up at the door, lips pressed together hard. Héctor swallows, keeping his hand on Miguel’s head. They both take a breath, and Héctor raps his knuckles on the door.
The minute the door opens, Miguel is ripped away from Héctor’s side, quicker than either of them can react, and brought into one of Elena’s trademark crushing hugs.
“Ay, Miguelitititito!” He gasps for air as Elena releases him just enough to press at least twenty kisses to his cheeks. “Mijo, it’s been so, so long!” She immediately attacks him with another flurry of kisses.
“Hola, Abuelita,” Miguel manages to gasp out as Elena finally pulls back. She tuts as she looks him over, smoothing down his hair.
“Mijo, you’re so skinny. Has your tío been feeding you anything?”
“Tía, I promise Miguel is exactly the same size he was when you last saw him,” Héctor says. Elena looks up at him, then finally releases her hold on Miguel. He sends her a wide smile, dimples fully on display, and leans down slightly for the inevitable flurry of kisses.
Instead, he gets a swat to his nose with la chancla.
“You! What kind of boy have I raised?” she chides as Héctor yelps. “You take Miguel and you just disappear! Practically no calls—”
“I call once a month!”
“No updates! No visits!”
“We both have school, Tía, and I live three hours away. There was no way to—"
“I thought he was dead!”
“I would have definitely called if Miguel was dead.” He yelps again as la chancla cracks against his shoulder. “He’s perfectly fine! I got him all the way here in one piece and as you can see, he is very much alive! Miguel, tell your abuelita how…” He looks down and finds that Miguel’s vanished again. Probably bolted once la chancla came out. Smart kid.
As Elena gives Héctor one last warning shake before putting la chancla back on her foot, Gloria walks by with a laugh.
“I knew Cousin Héctor had to be home with all that slapping,” she says with a smirk, then glances over his shoulder and catches sight of Imelda trying her best to keep a straight face. “Oyé! He’s brought someone with him!”
Imelda’s eyes widen and she quickly shakes her head. “Oh, no. No, it’s not like that. I just—” She’s cut off as Héctor takes her arm and pulls her into the house with a big grin.
“This is Imelda. She drove me and the kid up today.”
“Imelda?” Another woman, Carmen, calls from the next room. “The one from the letters?”
“From the what?” Imelda looks up at Héctor, but her attention’s diverted by Gloria taking her hands.
“Ay, Imeldita, you were all he wrote about this year in his Día de la Candelaria letter! No word on his job, on his music, nothing but Imelda this and Imelda that.” She turns back toward Carmen, still keeping a tight hold on Imelda’s hands despite her attempts to pull away. “You need to see her, Carmen!”
“I actually need to go…I have a friend I’m supposed to…”
“Ah, solo cinco minutos, linda,” Gloria assures, patting Imelda’s hands. “Now, how did Héctor fool you into thinking he was remotely close to being on your level?”
Ordinarily, this would be a prime time for Héctor to jump in to his diosa’s rescue—which isn’t something he got to do very often. But…Miguel hadn’t resurfaced after his disappearance, and worry starts to gnaw in the pit of his stomach. The last thing he wants is to find the boy hidden away somewhere—or worse, being forced into talking about how he’s doing, because today must be so hard. So he gives Imelda an apologetic shrug before he slips away.
The problem with the Rivera household was that they were a big family. Which meant that the house had a lot of rooms and a lot of nooks and crannies for a small boy to hide in. Héctor’s checking his eighth room when he finally hears the very familiar twang of a guitar. He pokes his head into the room next door, and it’s all he can do to hold back the sigh of relief as he sees Miguel sitting cross-legged on the floor, a small guitar in his lap as he picks out a little tune. He waits a moment, looking around the room. It’s very clean, but there’s a scattering of action figures and Lego creations left on top the dresser, and a few luchador posters taped up on the walls. Of course, this has to be Miguel’s room.
Héctor leans in the doorway, keeping an eye open for any family coming this way. When the song’s finished, he takes a step inside. Miguel’s head shoots back, but he relaxes as Héctor gives him a little smile.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, adjusting the guitar as he gets to his feet. “I know I should be out there, but…”
“Hey, practice comes first,” Héctor says easily. “And anyway, Tía Imelda’s distracting everyone, which means we have a solid ten minutes before we start hearing ‘Miguelititito!!’ and fifteen before we have to start running from la chancla.”
A little smile flits across Miguel’s face for a brief moment, but he frowns down at his guitar and stays silent. Héctor presses his lips together, then reaches into his pocket.
“Hey, mira, mira. Look what I found while I was looking for you.” He pulls out a little face-painting set and holds it up with a grin. “Pretty sure this is Carmen’s, but she won’t miss it for a little bit. How about we head back out as Santa Cecilia’s handsomest calaveras?”
Miguel rolls his eyes with a little huff, occupying himself with unnecessarily tuning his E string. “Face painting’s lame. Little kids are the only ones who…” He glances up at his tío, who already has a long streak of white paint down his cheek. Héctor sends him a wounded look.
“Well, now I’ll look ridiculous.”
Miguel’s lips press together, and he sighs before standing up. “Fine.”
“Allà vamos! Now, help me out, chamaco; you haven’t got a mirror in here and I have no idea what I’m doing.”
For all of Miguel’s pretending to be too cool for face painting, he takes it very seriously. Héctor had been content to give them both basic skulls, but Miguel informs him that that’s boring. So he adds swirls of yellows and greens—and a touch of purple—to Héctor’s cheeks and forehead, and Héctor paints red and yellow dots just under Miguel’s eyes, as well as a little green circle right where his mole is. When Miguel finally deems them ready, Héctor’s phone is brought out. He pulls up his camera so they can see themselves.
“Oyé, look at us! Muy guapo, eh?” he says, grinning as Miguel pulls faces with his newly skeletal visage. “Quick, let’s get a picture before the rest of the family comes looking for us.” He and Miguel put on their best grins as Héctor snaps a photo. Just as they look it over, Elena calls, “Héctor? Miguel?” from the hallway.
“See? Perfect timing,” he whispers, then walks over to poke his head out the door. “In here, Tía! We were just getting into the spirit of things.” He grins as Miguel snorts, then is nearly knocked over by the armful of marigolds Elena shoves at him.
“Dios mio, Héctor, you’re too old to be playing hide-and-seek like this,” she chides with a shake of her head. “Bueno, Miguel, you go help your Tía Carmen in the kitchen. Héctor, with me.”
Héctor glances down at Miguel and gives him a little shrug, but they both do as they’re asked. Héctor watches Miguel run out to the patio, then trails after Elena. He adjusts the marigolds in his arms.
“I thought you usually had the little ones pluck the cempasuchil with you,” he says as they walk, scrunching his nose as a few loose petals tickle it.
“I do. This year isn’t any different.” Héctor rolls his eyes at the look Elena shoots him.
“Is this about me not being here last year? I told you, I had…”
“A performance. Just like you did on Día de la Candelaria and Noche Buena and…”
“I send letters!”
“You should be with your familia, Héctor. What kind of example are you setting for Miguel?”
Héctor sighs as they make their way out to the courtyard. “Well, I’m here this year. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”
Elena glances back at him, then shakes her head as they reach a secluded corner, where a basket is already half-full of orange petals. “How are you doing with him?” she asks quietly as she sits. “Is it too much?”
Héctor blinks at the question, then shrugs as he sits in the chair beside her. “Well, I got him to smile a few times today. So I think he’s doing well, all things considered.”
“I mean you, mijo. How are you doing?”
Héctor blinks, then presses his lips together as he starts to pluck away the petals. “I’m…doing really well. I mean, it’s not easy, but…well, Miguel’s alive and I’m alive—even if we don’t look like it right now—so I think we’re managing okay.” He smiles a bit. “He’s every bit the angelito querido cielito you said he was.”
Elena looks up at him with a smile. “He’s a troublemaker,” she says frankly, though there’s a definite fondness in her voice, then sighs. “Which doesn’t make things easy figuring out custody.”
Héctor freezes, and he looks up at Elena with wide eyes. “Are…you already figuring that out? Now? Because the semester’s not even over yet and…”
Elena shakes her head. “You don’t need to worry. We’ll figure it out before the new year,” she assures with a gentle smile. Héctor stares at her, heart dropping down to the pit of his stomach.
“Y-you know, New Year’s is awfully close. A-and besides, it’s not very good to move a student to a different school halfway through the year; it messes them up and they don’t perform as well,” he says quickly, plucking petals as quickly as the words spill out of him. “So, you know, I could keep Miguelito until…let’s say summer? He’s really flourishing and I don’t want…” He stops as Elena laughs.
“Ay, who left this dulce niño here instead of our tramposo?” She gives him a warm smile. “Oh, I know I give you a hard time, but I’m very proud of how you’ve taken care of Miguel.”
Héctor’s lip twitches up. “Really?”
She nods, taking another flower to pluck. “I was so worried about today. But that smile earlier was the first real one I’ve seen from him since the accident. You’re doing very well with him.” Héctor sits up a little straighter, and he opens his mouth to thank her, but she continues, “But I know how focused you are on your music, mijo, and juggling that life won’t be good for you or Miguel. So we’ll get everything sorted for him to come home before too long.” As she finishes with the flower, she leans over to pull Héctor in for a barrage of kisses, not noticing the way he deflated with her words. “And a few more calls and updates would be nice, chiquito.”
“Sí, claro,” he replies, putting on a stiff smile. She isn’t wrong; he really isn’t suited to actually raise a child, especially not with the way he’s living now. But…maybe if…
No. This was a temporary arrangement from the start. Even with how well things were going, it was only because Miguel was staying for a few months. Being a godfather didn’t mean becoming the kid’s papá. He needed stability, familiarity, actual dinners…
He’s pulled from his thoughts as Elena pats his cheek. “I think that should be enough for a pathway. Here.” She pulls a smaller basket from beside her and scoops out a heaping amount of petals. “Take that to the ofrenda room; there needs to be far more than we have in there.”
“Of course, Tía,” he says softly as he gets to his feet.
“And don’t dump it on the ground like you used to.”
Héctor’s mouth twitches, but he can’t quite manage a full smile. Luckily, the makeup hides that. “Well, if I do, I’ll be sure to make it look less like an accident.” He stretches out his back, then makes his way to the ofrenda room. He gives his head and shoulders a shake, trying to brush off the sick feeling that’s building up inside him. The future doesn’t matter right now; tonight is about Miguel getting through Día de Muertos as easily as he can, and Héctor being a sadsack about something he can’t control won’t help at all.
As he reaches the ofrenda room, his steps slow as he hears Miguel inside. He stops just outside, listening as the boy spoke.
“…I mean, he’s kinda forgetful and he’s really, really bad at cooking. He gave me a burned tortilla and said that it was ‘well-done’. And then! When I wouldn’t eat it, he shoved, like, half of it into his mouth and ate it! Mamá, it was black! I think he did it just to prove me wrong, but he’s kinda weird, so I’m not sure.”
Ah, he was telling his parents about Héctor. The thought sent a sympathetic ache right to Héctor’s heart, but he couldn’t help his smile as Miguel spoke so animatedly. He leaned against the wall outside, staying still but listening hard.
“And did you know that Tío Héctor performs with Cruz? His real name’s Ernesto, but it’s really weird to call him that. But they make videos together and share their apartment and it’s so cool! And get this—Tío Héctor’s dating la directora. I mean, they don’t say they’re dating, but I’m pretty sure they are. It’s so gross, but she’s really nice and makes really good dinners and that’s always when Tío Héctor plays his best songs instead of just showing me how to do simple stuff.”
Héctor peeks into the room in amusement, eyebrows raised as Miguel said he and Imelda were dating. Just as he’s about to walk in and interrupt by throwing a handful of petals at Miguel, he sees the boy lean closer to the two new photos on the ofrenda.
“I…I really wish you both were here right now,” he admits softly. “I miss you a lot, and I really want things to go back to the way they were.” He sniffles a bit, but stands up straight. “But…but I’m kind of happy that I’m living with Tío Héctor? It’s a lot of fun. So you don’t have to worry about me. I mean, unless he accidentally poisons me with his cooking, but I think he’s more in trouble with that than I am.”
Héctor smiles a bit to himself at Miguel’s words, and he figures now’s a good time to come in. He carefully pours the petals out from the basket, making a little pathway from the door, then drops a few petals on Miguel’s head. He laughs as the boy jumps.
“Don’t tell me your gossiping about me with the family, chamaco,” he says, scattering a few of petals on the ofrenda itself. “Tía Victoria won’t believe anything you say about me. I was always her favorite nephew.”
Miguel gives a little laugh, then looks back at the ofrenda. He stays quiet for a long moment, eyes locked on the photos of his parents that smiled back at him. “You really think they come back?” he asks softly.
“Oh, of course.” Héctor dumps the last few petals out right in front of the ofrenda, then sets a hand on Miguel’s head. “At least, if they like you, I think they do. Your parents are probably counting the seconds ‘til sundown, they’re so ready to see you.”
Miguel smiles. “You think they can hear us, too?”
“What’s the point of visiting if they can’t get all the chisme? Of course they can hear us.” Héctor glances down as Miguel leans against him.
“I still miss them,” he mumbles. “Even if they are visiting tonight.”
Héctor sighs and rubs the top of Miguel’s head. “I know, chamaco. It’s not the same.”
Miguel stays silent for a long moment, then asks quietly, “Did you feel the same with your parents?”
Héctor stiffens before he can stop himself. “What?”
Miguel glances up, brows drawn. “With…your parents? They’re on the ofrenda, aren’t they?”
Héctor swallows, then shakes his head. “No.”
“No?”
“They’re not dead. At least, I don’t think they are. Just…” Not interested in their kid. He bites back the end of that sentence; God knows that Miguel doesn’t need Héctor’s familial hangups added on to the strain of tonight. “Well, it’s not important. I have all the family I need right here, living and dead.” He puts on a big smile as he ruffles Miguel’s hair and glances back to the door. “Ah, mira, chamaco. It’s just about sunset. Why don’t you grab your guitar and bring it with us to the cemetery? Then we can show them what a maestro you’ve become.”
Miguel smiles and nods, starting to run off.
“Oyé! And grab that Monarcas jersey from my backpack for your papá!” Héctor calls after him. “We’re gonna tell him how they won!”
“But they didn’t win!”
“I know, I’m hoping that they don’t get reception in the afterlife!”
He smiles as he hears Miguel laugh, then turns back to the ofrenda. He looks down at the photos of Enrique and Luisa, then rubs the back of his head with a sigh.
“This is loco, you know, Quique? Completamente loco. I thought that when you made me Miguel’s godfather and that hasn’t changed in eight years.” He huffs through his nose as he pushes his hand through his bangs. “But I’m trying. He’s…he’s a good kid, y’know? He didn’t deserve all of this. You and Luisa didn’t deserve this either, but at least it’s over for you. He still has so much ahead…” He presses his lips together hard, looking at the marigold petals scattered around the ofrenda. “Look. If you’re really coming to visit tonight, could there be a…a sign or something you could give me? With what I’m supposed to do with him? Because by all means, I should let him come back here, but…ay, Dios mio, the chamaco grows on you!”
He shuts his eyes with a huff, then takes a breath as he opens them. He glances between Enrique and Luisa, then shakes his head. “You know what? Never mind. You don’t want to be bothered by me tonight; you want to see your son.” He gives a small smile. “He’s turning out to be a real musician, you know. You’ll see tonight. You should be really proud.”
“Tío Héctor! We’re going to the graveyard soon!”
He looks up as he hears Miguel’s shout, then smiles as he sticks his hands in his pockets, looking back at the ofrenda.
“I’ll meet you at the cemetery, then, Quique. We’ll toast some of the good stuff for you.”
He lopes out, meeting Miguel halfway through the courtyard and following him out. Today was hard. Tonight might be harder. Not to mention that now the new year’s looming over him like a shadow.
But…Día de Muertos is about family, first and foremost. And, for as long as he has Miguel in his tiny, tiny family, he comes first. So he grins and jokes and does everything he can on the way to the cemetery to keep the mood up, all while pushing back the worries and pains creeping in on him. Those aren’t important, not now.
Everything in the future can be dealt with when it comes.
I HOPE YOU GOT AS FEELSY READING THIS AS I DID WRITING IT.
You may have noticed that this title said “Pt. 1″. And that’s because Wit will be writing a part 2 later this week, from Imelda’s POV! So be sure to tune in on her blog!!
(And check out all the other great content that’s come from the Teacher!AU monster. There’s some beautiful art and fics going around the tags, and I wish I could tag everyone that contributes.)
ADDENDUM:
SPEAKING OF BEAUTIFUL ART, @upperstories BLESSED US ALL WITH THE CALAVERAS SELFIE
GO LOOK AT HER ART IT’LL MAKE YOU CRY IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
[Part 6: Día de Muertos (Pt. 2)] [Part 7: A Birthday Livestream]
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What is Android Auto? | Features, Functions, Compatible Cars
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What is Android Auto? | Features, Functions, Compatible Cars
Google may never build its own car, but it is already a major player in the automotive industry. Thousands of drivers use Android Auto software every day, either because they don't like their car's native infotainment system or because they prefer the familiar, smartphone-like interface. The latest updates have made it even more intuitive.
Like CarPlay, Apple's rival system, Android Auto promises to make driving safer by reducing distractions. Whether it achieves this goal depends on who you ask. AAA found that it helps drivers to keep both eyes on the road, but a British study concluded that driving is more distracting than driving drunk. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and common sense plays a big part in using in-car technology. Here's what you need to know about Android Auto:
What does Android Auto do?
Android Auto takes advantage of the features you love about your Android smartphone and inserts them directly into your car's dashboard by overwriting the native infotainment system. It displays information on a familiar, easy-to-use interface with cards that you can swipe out of the way, readable menus, and large icons. It recently got a darker theme, an updated app launcher layout, and a more intuitive user interface, making Android users more familiar than ever.
One of the best parts of Android Auto is the Google Maps-based navigation system, which provides step-by-step instructions and automatically finds an alternative route when heavy traffic is detected. It is a real blessing if no navigation is integrated in your car. The software is transferred from your phone via saved destinations so that you do not have to manually enter the address of your home, office or school. Finally, Android Auto gives motorists access to millions of songs and podcasts through a growing list of third-party apps when needed, allows them to surf the web, and enables them to stay connected by calling and sending messages through Hangouts, WhatsApp. and other messaging platforms.
All of the above functions also respond to basic voice commands. You can choose "OK, Google, play The Offspring" or "OK, Google, what is the capital of Australia?" Say. You can even ask, "OK, Google, what is Android Auto?" With voice commands, you can reply to messages using voice-text technology. Don't worry if your car is not equipped with speech recognition technology as Android Auto's functions are accessible via the touchscreen in your car or via the rotary knob if your car's screen is not touch sensitive. Note that your smartphone's screen will lock when Android Auto is active. However, you can swipe to unlock it if that's safe.
The integration of Google Assistant uses intelligent voice controls so drivers can keep their hands on the steering wheel. With the artificial intelligence of the assistant, fluid, precise two-way conversations are possible, and all your favorite apps are included for the journey.
Speaking of which, Android Auto works with a variety of third-party apps including Waze, Pandora, iHeart Radio, Skype, WhatsApp and Spotify. However, the vehicle settings are not part of Android Auto. Therefore, the driver must exit the application to adjust the climate control, browse radio stations or select another driving mode. However, Google is currently working with car manufacturers like Polestar to develop new Android-based infotainment systems that can access all of these functions from one place.
Which phones are compatible with Android Auto?
Now that you know what Android Auto is, let's examine which devices and vehicles are compatible with it. Users running Android OS version 9 or lower must download the free Android Auto application from the Google Play Store. However, Android 10 phones have built-in functionality. Any phone with Android 5.0 and higher has active data plan can power Android Auto so you don't need the latest device to use it.
Your phone must have a working USB port to connect to the car. However, the latest Android phones from Samsung and others support Android auto wireless connections in a small but growing list of vehicles.
Which cars are compatible with Android Auto?
Dozens of new cars are compatible with Android Auto. However, keep in mind that some manufacturers charge buyers additional functions, and others choose not to offer them in cheaper options.
Vehicles compatible with Android Auto include most members of the Mercedes-Benz range, every type plate in the Cadillac portfolio, as well as numerous models from Chevrolet, Kia, Honda, Volvo and Volkswagen. Finding a car-compatible Android car shouldn't be a problem, whether you're buying a cheap hatchback, a rugged SUV, or a high-end sports car. The full list can be found on the Android Auto website.
Lexus and parent company Toyota have been defending Android Auto for years for security and privacy reasons, but both have changed their minds. Several 2020 models – including the Tacoma, Sequoia, Tundra, 4Runner and RX – are compatible with Android Auto. We expect the list to continue to grow in the coming months and years. BMW and Porsche are still Android-free, but Porsche told Digital Trends that this could change soon.
It can be a bit difficult to find a used car that is compatible with Android Auto as it took the car manufacturers a while to get Google into the cabin. Hyundai, Kia, and Chevrolet were among the first companies to build Android auto-compatible cars after the software became available in early 2015. If these do not suit your taste, aftermarket manufacturers such as Kenwood, Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony offer Android compatible head units.
Drivers can work around compatibility issues by downloading Android Auto and using it as a standalone application. Simply start the software and mount your smartphone on your windshield or dashboard. It offers the same functions regardless of whether it is displayed on the touchscreen of a car or on a smartphone. This solution allows anyone to use Android Auto in a 2019 BMW 3 Series, a classic Mini, a 1908 Ford T, or anything in between.
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