Google adding Cisco, Microsoft and Zoom (audio) conferencing to Android Auto

Google announced Wednesday that it’s working with Cisco, Microsoft and Zoom to bring conferencing into vehicles via Android Auto — a feature that may just keep folks from attempting to drive while balancing their phone on their lap with a video conferencing app open.

Yes, we see you drivers.

The new conferencing feature, which will be audio for now, was announced Wednesday at Google’s I/O conference and is part of the company’s push into the automotive market.

Android Auto, which allows drivers to wirelessly project navigation, parking, media and messaging from their Android smartphone to their vehicle center display, will soon offer conferencing through Cisco’s Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom apps to enable conferencing.

Google is quickly growing out the number of vehicles using Android Auto to access apps. By the end of the year, the company expects over 200 million vehicles to be connected to Android Auto, which might give you an idea of how many people will be using Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom to connect while on the go.

Despite our post-COVID Zoom-obsessed culture, enabling conferencing in moving vehicles isn’t yet very mainstream. But the phenomenon is growing. Last year, Tesla said drivers would soon be able to access Zoom from its vehicles. In February, this year, Mercedes partnered with Cisco to enable video calls in its 2024 E Class sedans.

All the ways Google is driving deeper into the automotive world