Google is discontinuing its standalone Driving Mode dashboard

According to 9to5Google, Google is shutting down Driving Mode, a standalone Assistant-powered dashboard that provides quick access to music settings, contacts, navigation, and other shortcuts while driving. The function, which Google initially mentioned at I/O 2019 but didn’t formally debut until last year, is now being phased out on November 21st.

The standalone version of Driving Mode should not be confused with the Driving Mode function incorporated into Google Maps, which launches when you begin navigation. According to Esper’s Mishaal Rahman, Google included Assistant Driving Mode in Maps before releasing the standalone Driving Mode.

The main distinction between the two is that the standalone version may be accessed by speaking a voice command such as “Hey Google, activate Driving Mode” or by pressing the Driving Mode shortcut on your phone’s home screen. When Driving Mode is turned off, you’ll only be able to access its capabilities by initiating navigation in Google Maps, which is likely what many users have been doing anyway.

Its demise is unfortunate for people who do not possess a vehicle equipped with a digital navigation system that supports Android Auto. The standalone Driving Mode service was planned to replace Google’s abandoned “Android Auto for Phone Screens” app with Android 12.