In 2024, there were 79,2 million cars produced worldwide. Almost 79% of them already come with integrated telematics. That is about 58 million cars that can be potential “carriers” of your application.
Is AAOS really that promising?
Car companies have been trying to build their own operating systems for the past ten years, but the path turned out to be way too expensive: support, updates, UX, integration with smartphones, app stores, voice assistants required resources at the level of technology giants.
As a result, brands began to transfer infotainment management to ecosystem-scale platforms – Apple and Google. And while Apple is betting on the Next Generation CarPlay (which is still phone-dependent), Google has gone further. Unlike CarPlay, AAOS is not a projected phone screen but a full-fledged car OS running right in the vehicle.
Since 2022, AAOS has been gaining an advantage over other infotainment operating systems, and it is projected to surpass 60 million shipments by 2030.
Indeed, a few years ago, the platform was tested mainly by Volvo and Polestar. Today its implementation has been confirmed by Renault, GM, Ford, Honda, as well as Hyundai and Kia.
In 2023, General Motors stated that it uses Android Automotive as the base platform for infotainment systems in both its electric and internal combustion vehicles. Back in 2021, Ford announced a multi-year partnership with Google, including OS integration into future models. Honda has been producing Google Built-In cars since 2023 and plans to expand the range in 2025–2026. Renault has already launched the Megane E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech.
If we add up only these brands, it already becomes obvious that the large-scale expansion of AAOS is not a matter of “someday” but probably of the next two or three model cycles. Manufacturers update the product line every 2–4 years, and with each update, the share of models on AAOS automatically increases.
Why app creators should act now?
1. First movers define the category before others catch up
One of the main reasons to develop for Android Automotive OS is the opportunity to gain a real competitive advantage through early entry into the platform. In the mobile world, such windows closed years ago: the App Store and Google Play have long been oversaturated, and it is almost impossible to become a category leader there without huge marketing budgets.
The situation is the opposite with AAOS. The Google Play for Cars store currently consists of dozens of apps, not thousands. From 2021 to 2024, Google gradually expanded categories, adding navigation, podcasts, media, audiobooks. For example, at I/O 2023, Google announced updates to the Android for Cars App Library to allow new app categories like IoT and weather. Even so, many niche segments remain empty.
We asked Maxim Leykin, Chief Technology Officer at Bamboo Apps, how long will the low-competition window in Google Play for Cars last.
Maxim Leykin, CTO at Bamboo Apps
“Assuming massive AAOS adoption by OEMs and dominant market share, I would estimate the remaining window of “low competition” to be roughly 2 to 3 years (ending around 2027–2028). Right now, Google is actively working to simplify the transition of applications from mobile devices to automotive ones, specifically targeting the “low-hanging fruit” of parked apps. In early 2025, it announced the “Car Ready” program to allow mobile apps that are already optimized for large screens (like tablets) to be automatically reviewed and enabled for use in the car while parked. This change can bring thousands of new apps into the AAOS ecosystem with minimal development effort, flooding the “Parked” categories”.
Besides, it’s well-known that car applications are subject to strict safety, usability, and regulatory requirements, which significantly limit the number of apps that can be approved for in-vehicle use. These limitations might create an opportunity for some developers to enter the platform ahead of competitors and secure a foothold there for a long time.
Car screens are not an environment where the user switches between dozens of applications daily. On the contrary, if they see 2–3 offers in a category in a store, they pick one of them and use it for years.
This is especially noticeable in navigation: the user selects an app, tests it once, and rarely switches. The same applies to music, audiobooks, streaming platforms, and driver services.
For developers, this means that early entry into the AAOS provides category leadership, low competition, and almost guaranteed entry into the store’s recommendations.
But perhaps the most exciting opportunity for developers lies in access to vehicle data. Within defined safety limits, AAOS allows apps to interact with the car’s systems, such as speed, fuel or battery level, geolocation, tire pressure, driving patterns, sensor data, etc. This creates an entirely new layer of context-aware functionality. This way, apps gain an opportunity to deliver experiences that are not possible on mobile, e.g., adaptive content based on driving conditions, maintenance alerts tied to actual usage, eco-driving assistants, or personalised infotainment modes that respond to route type or driver profile.
In short, developers can build innovative products that feel deeply integrated into the car and therefore far more valuable to users.
2. It is a new touchpoint capturing hours of user attention
A car is a device that is used regularly and in a strictly repetitive scenario: on the way to work, a business trip, a route to the gym, an evening shopping trip. This is the rare type of screen time that occurs every day, without competing with the smartphone chaos of notifications.
Therefore, adding the AAOS version of the application automatically increases engagement. The user turns on the car, the application appears in the recommended tiles of the infotainment system. As a result, daily interaction becomes part of the route.
But more importantly, there is a new holding point. The psychology of interacting with the app changes. What started on the phone continues in the car, and vice versa (especially for books, music, and navigation). The total duration of usage grows, which contributes to habit formation and increases the likelihood of subscription.
In other words, AAOS is not just one more device but a retention mechanism built into the user’s daily behavioral model.
3. Automotive contexts enable additional monetisation
Inside the car, users behave differently, and those behaviors translate directly into revenue potential. EV drivers spend extended time parked while charging, passengers consume media in longer uninterrupted sessions, and drivers regularly encounter transactional moments – parking, charging, food pickup, route decisions. McKinsey estimates that connected-car commerce could reach $310B by 2030.
AAOS allows apps to tap these contexts respectfully: premium EV routing, paid parking reservations, in-car media subscriptions, pre-order and pickup flows, loyalty integrations, roadside assistance, and contextual offers based on route or vehicle needs.
In addition to subscriptions, AAOS opens up additional monetisation scenarios:
- Paid content “bundled” with the automotive experience: for example, enhanced sound quality, enhanced recommendations, offline maps.
- Contextual monetisation for navigation: parking services, EV charging-suggestions, road services.
- Apps can be shipped as part of onboard systems or rebranded for automakers. OEMs could license, integrate, or pre-install third-party apps, additionally covering customisation costs, white-label versions, or feature development. This may introduce a new B2B revenue stream, with the added benefit of being associated with top automotive brands.
Besides, AAOS provides limited access to car telemetry. Developers can use anonymised information to improve the product and increase its value, as well as, if they comply with privacy regulations, to offer aggregated analytics to auto services and partner companies.
Conclusion
AAOS is not an experimental platform or a niche initiative. It is actually a growing infrastructure that is recognised by world’s largest manufacturers. The product range is changing, OEMs are announcing strategic partnerships with Google, and users are gaining new screens where they expect to find familiar services.
And those who enter this space today may find themselves in the lead tomorrow. Not because they did something monumental, but because they were there first. As Patrick Brady, Vice President of Engineering at Google, said in a recent interview: “It’s the beautiful thing about having a platform like this. There are services that we might not be thinking about today and that may be here tomorrow.”