Enlarge / The plain-looking IoT grid of icons looks better when it’s merged into Google’s multi-panel home screen layout. (credit: Google)

Android Auto is getting a new app category. Google has announced that Internet of Things apps (or smart home apps) for cars are now supported by the Play Store. Developers can now build smart home apps, and after an enhanced car safety check by Google, they’ll be available for car screens. This has been in early access for a while, but now the feature is hitting general availability.

As usual, the Android for Cars app program covers two different platforms: Android Auto and Android Automotive OS. The redundant branding means people always get these confused, but Android Auto is an app that runs on your phone. Just like Apple’s CarPlay, you plug your phone into your car’s dashboard (or it wirelessly connects), and the phone software takes over the car’s in-dash display, using it like an external monitor. Instead of seeing the car’s built-in infotainment system, you see a UI made by Google, along with any compatible Android Auto apps installed on your phone.

Android Automotive OS (AAOS), on the other hand, is the car’s infotainment system. Google signs deals with car manufacturers to make the car run Android instead of a basic Linux or QNX or another car system, and that includes killer apps like Google Maps and Google Assistant. The car becomes a computer that runs Android, and you can never remove it. Today, you’ll find Android Automotive OS on new cars from Polestar/Volvo, GM, and soon Honda and Ford. While AAOS and Android Auto are totally different platforms, they mostly support the same third-party apps. For Android Auto, you install the app from your phone’s Play Store, while for AAOS you use your car’s built-in Play Store to install the app directly to your car storage.