This page details the different features of the Car App Library that you can use to implement the functionality of your turn-by-turn navigation app.
Declare navigation support in your manifest
Your navigation app needs to declare the androidx.car.app.category.NAVIGATION
car app category in the intent
filter of its CarAppService
:
<application>
...
<service
...
android:name=".MyNavigationCarAppService"
android:exported="true">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="androidx.car.app.CarAppService" />
<category android:name="androidx.car.app.category.NAVIGATION"/>
</intent-filter>
</service>
...
</application>
Support navigation intents
To support navigation intents to your app, including those coming from
the Google Assistant using a voice query, your app needs to handle the
CarContext.ACTION_NAVIGATE
intent in its
Session.onCreateScreen
and
Session.onNewIntent
.
See the documentation about
CarContext.startCarApp
for details on the format of the intent.
Access the navigation templates
Navigation apps can access the following templates specifically designed for navigation apps. All these templates display a surface in the background with the map and, during active navigation, turn-by-turn directions.
NavigationTemplate
: also displays an optional informational message and travel estimates during active navigation.MapTemplate
: presents a compact version of a list (as in theListTemplate
) or of a pane (detailed information with prominent actions, as in thePaneTemplate
) next to a map.PlaceListNavigationTemplate
: also displays a list of places, which can have corresponding markers drawn in the map.RoutePreviewNavigationTemplate
: also displays a list of routes, one of which can be selected and highlighted in the map.
For more details about how to design your navigation app’s user interface using those templates, see the Android for Cars App Library design guidelines.
To get access to the navigation templates, your app needs to declare
the androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES
permission in its
AndroidManifest.xml
file:
<uses-permission android:name="androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES"/>
Draw the map
Navigation apps can access a Surface
to draw the map on relevant templates.
A SurfaceContainer
object can
then be accessed by setting a SurfaceCallback
instance on the AppManager
car
service:
Kotlin
carContext.getCarService(AppManager::class.java).setSurfaceCallback(surfaceCallback)
Java
carContext.getCarService(AppManager.class).setSurfaceCallback(surfaceCallback);
The SurfaceCallback
provides a callback when the SurfaceContainer
is available, along with other callbacks when the properties of the Surface
change.
To get access to the surface, your app needs to declare the
androidx.car.app.ACCESS_SURFACE
permission in its AndroidManifest.xml
file:
<uses-permission android:name="androidx.car.app.ACCESS_SURFACE"/>
The map’s visible area
The host can draw user interface elements for the templates on top of
the map. The host communicates the area that is guaranteed to be unobstructed
and fully visible to the user by calling the
SurfaceCallback.onVisibleAreaChanged
method. Also, to minimize the number of changes, the host calls the
SurfaceCallback.onStableAreaChanged
method with the smallest rectangle, which is always visible based on the
current template.
For example, when a navigation app uses the
NavigationTemplate
with an action strip on top, the action strip can hide itself when the user has
not interacted with the screen for a while to make more space for the map. In
this case, there is a callback to onStableAreaChanged
and
onVisibleAreaChanged
with the same rectangle. When the action strip is hidden,
only onVisibleAreaChanged
is called with the larger area. If the user
interacts with the screen, then again only onVisibleAreaChanged
is called with
the first rectangle.
Support dark mode
Navigation apps must redraw their map onto the Surface
instance with
the proper dark colors when the host determines conditions warrant it, as
described in Android app quality for
cars.
To decide whether to draw a dark map, you can use the
CarContext.isDarkMode
method. Whenever the dark mode status changes, you receive a call to
Session.onCarConfigurationChanged
.
Communicate navigation metadata
Navigation apps must communicate additional navigation metadata with the host. The host uses the information to provide information to the vehicle head unit and to prevent navigation applications from clashing over shared resources.
Navigation metadata is provided through the
NavigationManager
car service accessible from the
CarContext
:
Kotlin
val navigationManager = carContext.getCarService(NavigationManager::class.java)
Java
NavigationManager navigationManager = carContext.getCarService(NavigationManager.class);
Start, end, and stop navigation
For the host to manage multiple navigation apps, routing notifications,
and vehicle cluster data, it needs to be aware of the current state of
navigation. When a user starts navigation, call
NavigationManager.navigationStarted
.
Similarly, when navigation ends—for example, when the user arrives at their
destination or the user cancels navigation—call
NavigationManager.navigationEnded
.
Only call NavigationManager.navigationEnded
when the user finishes navigating. For example, if you need to recalculate
the route in the middle of a trip, use
Trip.Builder.setLoading(true)
instead.
Occasionally, the host needs an app to stop navigation and calls
onStopNavigation
in a
NavigationManagerCallback
object provided by your app through
NavigationManager.setNavigationManagerCallback
.
The app must then stop issuing next-turn information in the cluster display,
navigation notifications, and voice guidance.
Update trip information
During active navigation, call
NavigationManager.updateTrip
.
The information provided in this call can be used by the vehicle’s cluster and
heads-up displays. Depending on the particular vehicle being driven, not all
the information is displayed to the user.
For example, the Desktop Head Unit (DHU) shows
the Step
added to the
Trip
, but does not show
the Destination
information.
Drawing to the Cluster Display
To provide the most immersive user experience, you may want to go beyond showing basic metadata on the vehicle's cluster display. Starting with Car App API Level 6, navigation apps have the option of rendering their own content directly on the cluster display (in supported vehicles), with the following limitations:
- The cluster display API does not support input controls
- The cluster display should only show map tiles. An active route navigation can optionally be displayed on these tiles.
- The cluster display API only supports use of the
NavigationTemplate
- Unlike main displays, cluster displays may not consistently show all
NavigationTemplate
UI elements, such as turn-by-turn instructions, ETA cards, and actions. Map tiles are the only consistently displayed UI element.
- Unlike main displays, cluster displays may not consistently show all
Declare Cluster Support
To let the host application know that your app supports rendering on cluster
displays, you must add an androidx.car.app.category.FEATURE_CLUSTER
<category>
element to your CarAppService
's <intent-filter>
as shown in the
following snippet:
<application> ... <service ... android:name=".MyNavigationCarAppService" android:exported="true"> <intent-filter> <action android:name="androidx.car.app.CarAppService" /> <category android:name="androidx.car.app.category.NAVIGATION"/> <category android:name="androidx.car.app.category.FEATURE_CLUSTER"/> </intent-filter> </service> ... </application>
Lifecycle and State Management
Starting with API level 6, the car app
lifecycle flow
stays the same, but now CarAppService::onCreateSession
takes a parameter of
type SessionInfo
that provides
additional information about the Session
being created (namely, the display
type and the set of supported templates).
Apps have the option to either use the same Session
class to handle both the
cluster and main display, or create display-specific Sessions
to customize
behavior on each display (as shown in the following snippet).
Kotlin
override fun onCreateSession(sessionInfo: SessionInfo): Session { return if (sessionInfo.displayType == SessionInfo.DISPLAY_TYPE_CLUSTER) { ClusterSession() } else { MainDisplaySession() } }
Java
@Override @NonNull public Session onCreateSession(@NonNull SessionInfo sessionInfo) { if (sessionInfo.getDisplayType() == SessionInfo.DISPLAY_TYPE_CLUSTER) { return new ClusterSession(); } else { return new MainDisplaySession(); } }
There are no guarantees about when or if the cluster display is provided, and
it's also possible for the cluster Session
to be the only Session
(for
example, the user swapped the main display to another app while your app is
actively navigating). The "standard" agreement is that the app gains control of
cluster display only after NavigationManager::navigationStarted
has been
called. However, it's possible for the app to be provided the cluster display
while no active navigation is occurring, or to never be provided the cluster
display. It is up to your app to handle these scenarios by rendering your app's
idle state of map tiles.
The host creates separate binder and CarContext
instances per Session
. This
means that, when using the methods like ScreenManager::push
or
Screen::invalidate
, only the Session
from which they are called is
affected. Apps should create their own communication channels between these
instances if cross-Session
communication is needed (for example, by using
broadcasts, a shared singleton, or something
else).
Testing Cluster Support
You can test your implementation on both Android Auto and Android Automotive OS. For Android Auto, this is done by configuring the Desktop Head Unit to emulate a secondary cluster display. For Android Automotive OS, the generic system images for API level 30 and greater emulate a cluster display.
Customize TravelEstimate with text or an icon
To customize the travel estimate with text, an icon, or both, use the
TravelEstimate.Builder
class's
setTripIcon
or
setTripText
methods. The
NavigationTemplate
uses
TravelEstimate
to optionally set text and icons alongside or in place of the estimated time
of arrival, remaining time, and remaining distance.

The following snippet uses setTripIcon
and setTripText
to customize the
travel estimate:
Kotlin
TravelEstimate.Builder(Distance.create(...), DateTimeWithZone.create(...)) ... .setTripIcon(CarIcon.Builder(...).build()) .setTripText(CarText.create(...)) .build()
Java
new TravelEstimate.Builder(Distance.create(...), DateTimeWithZone.create(...)) ... .setTripIcon(CarIcon.Builder(...).build()) .setTripText(CarText.create(...)) .build();
Provide turn-by-turn notifications
Provide turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation instructions using a frequently updated navigation notification. To be treated as a navigation notification in the car screen, your notification's builder must do the following:
- Mark the notification as ongoing with the
NotificationCompat.Builder.setOngoing
method. - Set the notification’s category to
Notification.CATEGORY_NAVIGATION
. - Extend the notification with a
CarAppExtender
.
A navigation notification displays in the rail widget at the bottom of
the car screen. If the notification's importance level is set to
IMPORTANCE_HIGH
, it also displays as a heads-up notification (HUN).
If the importance is not set with the
CarAppExtender.Builder.setImportance
method, the
notification channel's importance
is used.
The app can set a PendingIntent
in the
CarAppExtender
that
is sent to the app when the user taps on the HUN or the rail widget.
If
NotificationCompat.Builder.setOnlyAlertOnce
is called with a value of true
, a high-importance notification alerts only
once in the HUN.
The following snippet shows how to build a navigation notification:
Kotlin
NotificationCompat.Builder(context, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID) ... .setOnlyAlertOnce(true) .setOngoing(true) .setCategory(NotificationCompat.CATEGORY_NAVIGATION) .extend( CarAppExtender.Builder() .setContentTitle(carScreenTitle) ... .setContentIntent( PendingIntent.getBroadcast( context, ACTION_OPEN_APP.hashCode(), Intent(ACTION_OPEN_APP).setComponent( ComponentName(context, MyNotificationReceiver::class.java)), 0)) .setImportance(NotificationManagerCompat.IMPORTANCE_HIGH) .build()) .build()
Java
new NotificationCompat.Builder(context, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID) ... .setOnlyAlertOnce(true) .setOngoing(true) .setCategory(NotificationCompat.CATEGORY_NAVIGATION) .extend( new CarAppExtender.Builder() .setContentTitle(carScreenTitle) ... .setContentIntent( PendingIntent.getBroadcast( context, ACTION_OPEN_APP.hashCode(), new Intent(ACTION_OPEN_APP).setComponent( new ComponentName(context, MyNotificationReceiver.class)), 0)) .setImportance(NotificationManagerCompat.IMPORTANCE_HIGH) .build()) .build();
Update the TBT notification regularly for distance
changes, which updates the rail widget, and only show the notification as a HUN.
You can control the HUN behavior by setting the notification's importance with
CarAppExtender.Builder.setImportance
. Setting the importance to
IMPORTANCE_HIGH
shows a HUN. Setting
it to any other value only updates the rail widget.
Refresh PlaceListNavigationTemplate content
You can let drivers refresh content with the tap of a button while browsing
lists of places built with
PlaceListNavigationTemplate
.
To enable list refresh, implement the
OnContentRefreshListener
interface's
onContentRefreshRequested
method and use
PlaceListNavigationTemplate.Builder.setOnContentRefreshListener
to set the listener on the template.
The following snippet shows how to set the listener on the template:
Kotlin
PlaceListNavigationTemplate.Builder() ... .setOnContentRefreshListener { // Execute any desired logic ... // Then call invalidate() so onGetTemplate() is called again invalidate() } .build()
Java
new PlaceListNavigationTemplate.Builder() ... .setOnContentRefreshListener(() -> { // Execute any desired logic ... // Then call invalidate() so onGetTemplate() is called again invalidate(); }) .build();
The refresh button is only shown in the header of the
PlaceListNavigationTemplate
if the listener has a value.
When the user clicks the refresh button, the
onContentRefreshRequested
method of your
OnContentRefreshListener
implementation is called. Within
onContentRefreshRequested
, call the
Screen.invalidate
method.
The host then calls back into your app’s
Screen.onGetTemplate
method to retrieve the template with the refreshed content. See
Refresh the contents of a template for
more information about refreshing templates. As long as the next template
returned by
onGetTemplate
is of
the same type, it counts as a refresh and does not count toward the
template quota.
Provide audio guidance
To play navigation guidance over the car speakers, your app must request
audio focus. As a part of your
AudioFocusRequest
, set
the usage as AudioAttributes.USAGE_ASSISTANCE_NAVIGATION_GUIDANCE
. Also,
set the focus gain as AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN_TRANSIENT_MAY_DUCK
.
Simulate navigation
To verify your app's navigation functionality when you submit it to the
Google Play Store, your app must implement the
NavigationManagerCallback.onAutoDriveEnabled
callback. When this callback is called, your app must simulate navigation to
the chosen destination when the user begins navigation. Your app can exit this
mode whenever the lifecycle of the current Session
reaches the
Lifecycle.Event.ON_DESTROY
state.
You can test that your implementation of onAutoDriveEnabled
is called by
executing the following from a command line:
adb shell dumpsys activity service CAR_APP_SERVICE_NAME AUTO_DRIVE
This is shown in the following example:
adb shell dumpsys activity service androidx.car.app.samples.navigation.car.NavigationCarAppService AUTO_DRIVE
Default navigation car app
In Android Auto, the default navigation car app corresponds to the last navigation app that the user launched. The default app receives navigation intents when the user invokes navigation commands through the Assistant or when another app sends an intent to start navigation.
Let users interact with your map
You can add support for users to interact with maps, such as letting them see different parts of a map by zooming and panning. Each template has a different minimum Car App API level requirement. See the following table for the minimum level for the template that you want to implement.
Template | Interactivity supported since Car App API Level |
---|---|
NavigationTemplate | 2 |
PlaceListNavigationTemplate | 4 |
RoutePreviewNavigationTemplate | 4 |
MapTemplate | 5 |
SurfaceCallback methods
The SurfaceCallback
interface has several
callback methods that let you add interactivity to maps built with the
NavigationTemplate
, PlaceListNavigationTemplate
, RoutePreviewNavigationTemplate
, or MapTemplate
templates:
onClick
,
onScroll
,
onScale
,
and
onFling
.
See the following table for how these callbacks relate to user interactions.
Interaction | SurfaceCallback method |
Supported since Car App API level |
---|---|---|
Tap | onClick |
5 |
Pinch to zoom | onScale |
2 |
Single-touch drag | onScroll |
2 |
Single-touch fling | onFling |
2 |
Double-tap | onScale (with scale factor determined by template host) |
2 |
Rotary nudge in pan mode | onScroll (with distance factor determined by template host) |
2 |
Map action strip
The
NavigationTemplate
,
PlaceListNavigationTemplate
,
RoutePreviewNavigationTemplate
,
and MapTemplate
templates can have a map action strip for map-related actions such as zooming in
and out, recentering, displaying a compass, and other actions you choose
to display. The map action strip can have up to four icon-only buttons that can
be refreshed without impacting task depth. It
hides during idle state and reappears on active state.
To receive map interactivity callbacks, you must add an
Action.PAN
button in the map action strip. When the user presses the pan button, the host enters
pan mode, as described in the following section.
If your app omits the Action.PAN
button in the map action strip, it doesn't receive user input from the
SurfaceCallback
methods, and the host exits any previously activated
pan mode.
On a touchscreen, the pan button is not displayed.
Pan mode
In pan mode, the template host translates user input from non-touch input
devices, such as rotary controllers and touchpads, into the appropriate
SurfaceCallback
methods. Respond to the user action to enter or exit pan mode
with the
setPanModeListener
method in the NavigationTemplate.Builder
. The host can hide other UI
components in the template while the user is in pan mode.
Stable area
The stable area is updated between idle and active states. Determine whether to draw driving-related information, such as speed, speed limit, or road warnings, based on the size of the stable area, so important information on the map doesn’t get obstructed by the map action strip.
Display in-context navigation alerts
Alert
displays important
information to the driver with optional actions‐without leaving the context of
the navigation screen. To provide the best experience to the driver,
Alert
works within the
NavigationTemplate
to avoid blocking the navigation route and to minimize driver distraction.
Alert
is only available within the NavigationTemplate
.
To notify the user outside of the NavigationTemplate
,
consider using a heads-up notification (HUN), as explained in
Display notifications.
For example, use Alert
to:
- Inform the driver of an update relevant to the current navigation, such as a change in traffic conditions.
- Ask the driver for an update related to the current navigation, such as the existence of a speed trap.
- Propose an upcoming task and ask whether the driver accepts it, such as whether the driver is willing to pick up someone on their way.
In its basic form, an Alert
consists of a title and the Alert
duration time. The duration time is represented by a progress bar. Optionally,
you can add a subtitle, an icon, and up to two
Action
objects.

Once an Alert
is shown, it does not carry over to another template if the
driver interaction results in leaving the NavigationTemplate
.
It stays in the original NavigationTemplate
until Alert
times out, the user
takes an action, or the app dismisses the Alert
.
Create an alert
Use Alert.Builder
to create an Alert
instance:
Kotlin
Alert.Builder( /*alertId*/ 1, /*title*/ CarText.create("Hello"), /*durationMillis*/ 5000 ) // The fields below are optional .addAction(firstAction) .addAction(secondAction) .setSubtitle(CarText.create(...)) .setIcon(CarIcon.APP_ICON) .setCallback(...) .build()
Java
new Alert.Builder( /*alertId*/ 1, /*title*/ CarText.create("Hello"), /*durationMillis*/ 5000 ) // The fields below are optional .addAction(firstAction) .addAction(secondAction) .setSubtitle(CarText.create(...)) .setIcon(CarIcon.APP_ICON) .setCallback(...) .build();
If you want to listen for Alert
cancellation or dismissal, create an implementation of the
AlertCallback
interface.
The AlertCallback
call paths are:
If the
Alert
times out, the host calls theAlertCallback.onCancel
method with theAlertCallback.REASON_TIMEOUT
value. It then calls theAlertCallback.onDismiss
method.If the driver clicks one of the action buttons, the host calls
Action.OnClickListener
and then callsAlertCallback.onDismiss
.If the
Alert
is not supported, the host callsAlertCallback.onCancel
with theAlertCallback.REASON_NOT_SUPPORTED
value. The host does not callAlertCallback.onDismiss
, because theAlert
was not shown.
Configure alert duration
Choose an Alert
duration that
matches your app’s needs. The recommended duration for a navigation
Alert
is 10 seconds. Refer to the
Android for Cars App Library design
guidelines
for more information.
Show an alert
To show an Alert
, call the
AppManager.showAlert
method available through your app’s
CarContext
.
// Show an alert
carContext.getCarService(AppManager.class).showAlert(alert)
- Calling
showAlert
with anAlert
that has analertId
that is the same as the ID of theAlert
currently on display does nothing. TheAlert
doesn’t update. To update anAlert
, you must recreate it with a newalertId
. - Calling
showAlert
with anAlert
that has a differentalertId
than theAlert
currently on display dismisses theAlert
currently displayed.
Dismiss an alert
While an Alert
automatically dismiss
due to timeout or driver interaction, you can also manually dismiss an
Alert
, such as if its information becomes outdated. To dismiss an
Alert
, call the
dismissAlert
method with the
alertId
of the Alert
.
// Dismiss the same alert
carContext.getCarService(AppManager.class).dismissAlert(alert.getId())
Calling dismissAlert
with an alertId
that doesn't match the currently
displayed Alert
does nothing. It doesn't throw an exception.