FCA, Google, and Samsung cooperate to develop car system, Android surpasses IOS

As the global intelligentization develops faster and faster, most people are no longer satisfied with the driving experience brought by current cars. People hope that cars can be smarter, more sensible and more considerate. This is not empty talk. Think about it, it has only been about 10 years since the advent of smart phones. Before that, who would have thought that mobile phones could evolve into what they are now, except for the most basic calling and texting. Similarly, the automotive industry is also gradually developing towards intelligence, and major automobile manufacturers and Internet industry groups are also accelerating the development of smart cars.

Three strong teams join forces to develop connected vehicles

Recently, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) Group officials stated that in the future, it will cooperate with Google and Samsung to equip all its models with Android Auto car systems and Samsung Electronics Cloud Services by 2022, thereby realizing the Internet of Vehicles function, providing online music and video services, as well as future-oriented shared cars and autonomous driving functions.

According to an official spokesperson, FCA will equip all its models sold worldwide with Google's Android car system, replacing the different car systems used for different regions. In addition, FCA will also use cloud services based on Samsung Electronics.

It is understood that FCA has not invested heavily in the development of autonomous driving technology like Ford and General Motors, which has saved the company a lot of money, but also made it more dependent on mature software and hardware solutions from other companies. It is understood that FCA will launch new car networking functions in the second half of 2019, such as detecting whether the vehicle needs maintenance, providing location navigation for the nearest gas stations and charging stations, receiving real-time traffic data and nearby restaurant discount information, etc.

Android is more open, while iOS is too restrictive

Seeing this, everyone may be a little confused. From a technical point of view, the current IOS system is slightly better than Android. Why did the car company choose the Android system instead of the IOS-based CarPlay this time?

In fact, it is not just this cooperation. As early as two years ago, Volvo Cars' choice of car system was still Google's Android system. And in terms of the total number, there are more people using Google's Android system than iOS. So why is iOS so unpopular?

Henrik Green, senior vice president of Volvo Car Group, said at the press conference that Google's platform and services will improve user experience, and the Android system will bring greater flexibility to the in-vehicle system. Although Apple's CarPlay system is the mainstream in in-vehicle terminals, its relatively closed ecosystem makes it extremely troublesome for car owners to use third-party applications. For users, they will certainly prefer the openness of the Android system. After all, it is much easier than Apple's CarPlay.

CarPlay is a combination of the user's iOS device and iOS experience with the car system. If the user's car is equipped with CarPlay, they can connect devices such as iPhone and interact with them using the car's built-in display and control keys, or Siri's eyes-free function. Users can easily and safely make calls, listen to music, send and receive messages, use navigation, and more. However, CarPlay only supports iPhone phones with Lightning interfaces, which will become a drawback for its rapid market share.

The Android system replaces the original in-car system of the car manufacturer to execute Android applications and services and access and store the content of Android phones. Several functions that the Android system can integrate with Android devices include Google Now, Google Maps, music control and voice operation. The openness of the Android system makes it more convenient and flexible when using third-party software, which is why Android's share in the mobile phone market is always higher than Apple's.

The development direction of Android system and CarPlay are different. CarPlay relies more on the wide market coverage of iPhone to realize the development of iOS into the field of car networking, and its target group is slightly single; while Android system is more open, with lower device threshold, and theoretically has wider coverage, but due to the fragmentation problem of Android, the entire promotion is also challenging.

It is reported that Google's latest in-car system will be built on Android 7.0. In addition to a series of car functions such as Google Maps, the new system will also intervene in the control of electronic instrument panels. Of course, the Google Assistant voice assistant will also be installed on this platform. Whether it is the driver or the passenger, in addition to using the voice assistant to check routes and make travel plans, they can also use voice commands to adjust the temperature, windows, seat back angles, etc.

In addition to what was mentioned above, Samsung has also made some achievements in the field of Internet of Vehicles. Samsung released the latest news about 5G networks at CES, including a new platform called "the industry's first 5G automotive solution", also known as the TCU remote control system.

The new TCU is based on the idea that in the next 10 years, cars will no longer be independent entities, but part of a larger, more extensive transportation system. Supported by C-V2X technology that supports cellular network connectivity, Samsung and Harman's 5G solution will enable cars to communicate directly with traffic lights, external traffic management systems and other vehicles. In other words, TCU can serve as a connection point between individual cars and large transportation networks.