1 page.title=Getting Started with Auto 2 page.tags="auto", "car", "automotive" 3 page.article=true 4 page.image=auto/images/assets/icons/auto_app_in_simulator.png 5 6 @jd:body 7 8 <div id="tb-wrapper"> 9 <div id="tb"> 10 <h2>Dependencies and Prerequisites</h2> 11 <ul> 12 <li>Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher</li> 13 </ul> 14 15 <h2>This class teaches you how to</h2> 16 <ol> 17 <li><a href="#dev-project">Set Up an Auto Project</a></li> 18 <li><a href="#build-it">Build Auto Apps</a></li> 19 </ol> 20 21 <h2>You should also read</h2> 22 <ul> 23 <li><a href="{@docRoot}design/auto/index.html">Designing for Auto</a></li> 24 <li><a href="{@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/auto.html">Distribute to Android Auto</a></li> 25 <li><a href="{@docRoot}training/auto/audio/index.html">Providing Audio Playback with Auto</a></li> 26 <li><a href="{@docRoot}training/auto/messaging/index.html">Providing Messaging for Auto</a></li> 27 </ul> 28 </div> 29 </div> 30 31 <p>Android Auto extends the Android platform into the car. When users connect 32 their handheld devices running Android 5.0 or higher to a compatible vehicle, 33 the Auto user interface provides a car-optimized Android experience on the 34 vehicle's screen. Users interact with compatible apps and services through 35 voice actions and the vehicle's input controls (like a touchscreen or dashboard 36 buttons).</p> 37 38 <p>Auto currently supports two types of apps:</p> 39 40 <ul> 41 <li><em>Audio apps</em> that allow users to browse and play music and spoken 42 audio content in the car.</li> 43 <li><em>Messaging apps</em> that receive incoming notifications, read messages 44 aloud via text-to-speech, and send replies via voice input in the car.</li> 45 </ul> 46 47 <p>You can enable your existing audio and messaging apps developed for 48 phones and tablets to work in the car, without having to worry about 49 vehicle-specific hardware differences. To enable your app for Auto, your 50 app must target Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher. Your apps manifest must 51 also declare the car capabilities that it uses, such as audio playback or 52 messaging services. </p> 53 54 <p>This lesson describes how to start building apps for Auto, including 55 setting up your development environment and meeting the the minimum requirements 56 to enable an app to communicate with Auto.</p> 57 58 <h2 id="dev-project">Set Up an Auto Project</h2> 59 <p>This section describes how to create a new app or modify an existing app to 60 communicate with Auto.</p> 61 62 <h3 id="prerequisites">Prerequisites</h3> 63 <p>Before you begin building apps for Auto, you must:</p> 64 65 <ul> 66 <li><strong><a href="{@docRoot}studio/projects/create-project.html">Create or 67 update your app project</a></strong> - Android 5.0 (API level 21) provides new 68 APIs for implementing audio playback and messaging that is compatible with Auto. 69 To access the new APIs, create a project or modify an existing project to target 70 Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher. This means you must set the manifest 71 <a href="{@docRoot}topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html">{@code targetSdkVersion}</a> 72 to 21 or higher. 73 </li> 74 <li><strong><a href="{@docRoot}tools/support-library/setup.html">Install the 75 support library</a></strong> - If you are building messaging apps for Auto, you 76 need the {@link android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat.CarExtender} class 77 contained in the 78 <a href="{@docRoot}tools/support-library/features.html#v4">v4 support library</a>. 79 This class allows you to create notifications that are compatible with Auto 80 devices.</li> 81 </ul> 82 83 <h3 id="auto-metadata">Declare Auto capabilities</h3> 84 <p>The Auto features that your app can access are controlled 85 by the settings in your app manifest and a separate XML configuration file. 86 Before adding Auto features to your app, you must first define the Auto 87 XML configuration file and add a manifest entry referencing your XML file.</p> 88 89 <h4 id="auto_xml">Define the Auto XML configuration file</h4> 90 <p>Specify the car capabilities that your app uses in an XML file that you 91 place in your projects resources directory ({@code res/xml/}). For example, to 92 extend an audio application for Auto, create a file called 93 {@code automotive_app_desc.xml} and store it under your projectss 94 {@code res/xml/} folder. The {@code automotive_app_desc.xml} file contains the 95 following metadata:</p> 96 <pre> 97 <automotiveApp> 98 <uses name="media" /> 99 </automotiveApp> 100 </pre> 101 <p>The {@code <uses>} element declares the Auto capability your app 102 intends to use. Multiple {@code <uses>} tags can be added if your 103 application uses multiple car capabilities. The {@code name} attribute indicates 104 the specific capability your app uses. The values supported are:</p> 105 <ul> 106 <li>{@code media} - The app uses the Android framework APIs to play music in 107 a vehicle. Set this value if you are enabling an audio app for Auto.</li> 108 <li>{@code notification} - The app displays message notifications in the cars 109 Overview screen, allows users select a message to be read aloud, and lets them 110 respond through voice input. Set this value if you are enabling a messaging 111 app for Auto. 112 </ul> 113 114 <h4 id="auto_xml">Add a manifest entry</h4> 115 <p>In your apps manifest ({@code AndroidManifest.xml}), provide a reference to 116 the Auto XML configuration file you created in the previous section. Add a 117 {@code "com.google.android.gms.car.application"} metadata entry under the 118 <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">{@code <application>}</a> 119 element that references your Auto XML configuration file. Omit the {@code .xml} 120 file extension when specifying the configuration filename.</p> 121 <p>The following code snippet shows how to include this reference in your 122 manifest.</p> 123 <pre> 124 <application> 125 126 ... 127 <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.car.application" 128 android:resource="@xml/automotive_app_desc"/> 129 130 </application> 131 </pre> 132 133 <h2 id="build-it">Add Auto Features to Your Apps</h2> 134 <p>After you have completed the steps described above, you're ready to add Auto 135 features to your apps. See these additional topics to help you build apps for 136 Auto:</p> 137 138 <ul> 139 <li><a href="{@docRoot}training/auto/audio/index.html">Providing Audio Playback for Auto</a> 140 - Create apps that let users browse and play music in the car.</li> 141 <li><a href="{@docRoot}training/auto/messaging/index.html">Providing Messaging for Auto</a> 142 - Enable users to receive and reply to messages in the car.</li> 143 </ul> 144 145 <p class="caution"><strong>Important:</strong> Google takes driver distraction 146 very seriously. There are specific design requirements your app must meet to 147 qualify as an Auto app on Google Play. By adhering to these 148 requirements, you can reduce the effort for building and testing your app. For 149 more information, see 150 <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a>.</p> 151 152 153 154 155
