In-vehicle navigation technology has changed by leaps and bounds in a relatively short period of time. It wasn’t very long ago that to enjoy turn-by-turn directions, you had to purchase a separate little device with a screen that attached to the windshield or dashboard.
Today, in comparison, hoards of cars and trucks come with embedded navigation technology right from the factory, plus modern smartphones offer the same functionality, with up-to-date maps and friendly user interfaces. Potentially taking things to the next level, though, computer-savvy sleuths have uncovered some new software code in Android Auto that may move in-vehicle navigation forward in a potentially big way.
Is Google Glass Making A Comeback?
As per a report from Android Central, future versions of Google’s smartphone-mirroring system may allow you to navigate in your vehicle while wearing smart glasses. Combing through the code, tech-savvy smartphone enthusiasts discovered two new strings in a recent version (v14.2.151544) of Android Auto that include a “GLASSES” modifier.
According to the article, “The first string is simply the option itself, which is for a ‘Glasses Option,’” but the second one is far more intriguing. Reportedly, the code says, “Start navigation to launch Glasses.” This suggests Google is working on some sort of smart glasses, ones that could support turn-by-turn navigation.
It’s unclear what a pair of modern smart glasses would look like – or the functionality they would offer – but this is not a new idea. More than a decade ago, Google built smart glasses called, rather appropriately, Google Glass. A small wearable computer, this system featured a camera, and gave users (or wearers?) access to maps and email, among other things.
Google May Be Developing New Wearable Devices
Of course, nothing is official right now, but potentially moving wearable technology like this forward, Google showed off Android XR glasses at its TED 2025 demo earlier this month. This device supports both augmented and virtual reality, among other functions. This sort of product strongly hints that the tech giant is hard at work developing wearable electronic devices.
It’s unclear exactly how smart glasses or other wearable devices would work while in the car, and whether they’d violate distracted driving laws if used while behind the wheel. The potential ability to initiate turn-by-turn navigation to a destination from a pair of smart glasses is intriguing, but, on the surface at least, this is not radically different from using voice prompts or selecting the destination in Android Auto that’s running right on the vehicle’s infotainment touchscreen.
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