Partner roles

Google works with two groups of partners to create the Android Automotive OS experience: car makers (and some of their suppliers) and app developers. Each has a distinct role in contributing to the overall design, just as Google does.

Here’s an overview of these roles:

Car maker’s design role	Google’s design role	App developer’s design role
Builds infotainment systems based on Google’s software and specs Customizes the UI to reflect own brand and configurations of specific cars	Provides UI foundations, including system apps and templates for third-party apps Provides design guidelines for car makers customizing the UI Updates UI designs as cars evolve Works with app developers to update app templates with new features	Creates versions of apps with auto-specific services, logic, and content based on Google’s guidelines and templates Provides design elements such as app icons, accent color, and custom actions

For details of what these roles involve for media apps, visit Division of roles in the media apps overview.