Android Auto now lets you use YouTube in the car – but there's a catch

If you use Android Auto in the car, you'll likely be aware that the option of running YouTube is non-existent. That stands to reason, of course – you shouldn't be watching anything while driving which diverts your attention from the road.

But now, it seems that a new update could finally allow users to utilise YouTube content in the car – albeit with some pretty major caveats. The feature was first spotted on Reddit, with what seems to be a YouTube Player app on the in-car infotainment screen.

Now, as mentioned, there are some caveats. For starters, the system doesn't appear to play the actual video, merely showcasing the audio from those videos.

There's no word in the thread on whether or not you'll get full videos when parked, though we'd assume the absence of confirmation points to that not being available. There are some other quirks, too, with the controls appearing to only allow you to play/pause and skip to the next video, with no options to fast-forward or rewind.

YouTube Player added from r/AndroidAuto

Still, this seems like a decent boost for those who use YouTube as a primary source of entertainment. I definitely fall into that camp, and have long thought that being able to listen to content in the car might be a nicer way to spend a journey than listening to the radio.

Another limit on the utility of this system is that there's no ability to browse. Again, that makes some sense from a safety standpoint, though music streaming apps are able to get around this with voice-led searching.

It would certainly be handy to have something like that implemented, otherwise you'd have to spend time pre-queuing enough content for your journey, or face leaving it all in the hands of the algorithm. Either way, it seems like another long-requested feature has finally appeared.