Layout

Android Auto's adaptive-responsive (AR) framework adapts app layouts to any car screen size.

App UI and features, such as media browsing and playback actions, are also automatically adapted in Android Auto—compatible cars for apps projected from a user's phone.

At a glance

  • Layouts adjust to the screen size at specific breakpoints
  • Apply padding in 8dp increments
  • Place 12dp padding between smaller components sparingly

How layout is determined

Android Auto's AR framework uses both adaptive design and responsive design:

  • Responsive design (exact screen size determines layout) is used for the left and right margins
  • Adaptive design (ranges of screen height and width determine layout) is used for layout

Layout is determined using measurements called breakpoints. Breakpoints are strategically defined screen height and width measurements that determine when to show a specific layout. For each breakpoint range, the layout adjusts to suit the screen size and orientation.

Adaptive breakpoint animation

Adaptive

Adaptive design uses breakpoints to determine a screen’s layout. For a defined range of screen sizes (such as those less than 1280dp wide) a specific layout is displayed.
Responsive breakpoint animation

Responsive

Responsive design adapts a layout in a way that’s proportional to the exact screen size. Components have flex areas that can be expanded or shrunk to an appropriate size for each car’s screen.

Adaptive breakpoints

Android Auto relies on adaptive breakpoints to determine screen layout, which are calculated from the size of the app window, rather than the entire screen.

Breakpoints on different screen sizes
Adaptive breakpoints across narrow (0-600dp), standard (600-930dp), wide (930-1280dp), and extra wide (1280dp+) screen sizes

Responsive margins

Android Auto uses responsive margins based on the size of the entire car screen. The left and right margins adjust to 12% of the screen width, and they typically contain scroll bars and navigation controls. The remaining screen space, called the app canvas, contains app content.

To provide more space, the right-side margin can be removed on smaller screen sizes. This space can be used by the app as a secondary area to show additional information.

Responsive margins animation
Responsive margins adjust their width based on the size of the screen.

The layout grid

Android Auto layouts align UI elements along an 8dp grid, with some smaller components aligning to a 4dp grid.

Padding

Padding refers to the space between UI elements. The Android Auto padding scale is applied in multiples of 8dp, up to padding sizes of 96dp. Any larger amounts of padding should also be added in multiples of 8dp.

This table lists typical padding values seen in the Auto UI. Size increments are listed in increasing order, marked by labels that start with the letter “P”:

P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8
4dp 8dp 12dp 16dp 24dp 32dp 48dp 64dp 96dp
Padding values in a layout
In this layout, padding values are represented by P1, P3, and P5 in the table above.

Padding for smaller components

To create better alignment, and allow sufficient spacing, smaller components may use 12dp of padding sparingly.

Padding values in a component
In this widget, elements use padding values represented by P2, P3, P4, and P5 in the table above.

Keylines

Keylines are measurements that organize a UI by showing where elements, and components, should be placed horizontally in a layout (along the x-axis). They are marked by labels that start with the letter “KL."

Keylines can be placed anywhere in a layout. They can be used to indicate the distance between any two vertical edges (of elements, components, or the screen itself). Components and elements align their left or right edge to the closest keyline.

Keylines within a component
In this component, KL0 aligns all list icons and text at a consistent distance from each another. KL1 aligns all list items to the component's left and right edges.

Measuring with keylines

Keylines change based on screen width, allowing UI elements to consistently scale their placement across different screen sizes.

The following keylines are recommended for a range of screen sizes, represented by labels marked with “KL(n)". They are shown in order of increasing keyline size:

KL(n) Narrow screens
(0-600dp)
Standard screens
(600-930dp)
Wide screens
(930-1280dp)
Extra wide screens
(1280dp+)
KL0 16dp 24dp 24dp 32dp
KL1 24dp 32dp 32dp 48dp
KL2 96dp 112dp 112dp N/A
KL3 112dp 128dp 128dp 152dp
KL4 148dp 168dp 168dp N/A