I'm an iPhone user, but Gemini with Android Auto beats Siri in the car any day - here's why
As an iPhone owner, I primarily use Siri through CarPlay when I'm driving. Apple's voice assistant can handle basic tasks, but since my Toyota Camry supports Android Auto, I wanted to see how Google Gemini would fare. With Gemini, you can send emails, get restaurant info, play games, and more. Here's how to set it up and my experience.
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Key points
- The author, an iPhone user, finds Gemini with Android Auto superior to Siri in the car.
- Gemini handles a wide range of tasks from basic commands to complex interactions.
- Setup requires an Android phone and a car with Android Auto, plus configuration.
- The author will now use an Android phone for driving to access Gemini.
Why it matters
This matters because the author, an iPhone user, finds Gemini with Android Auto superior to Siri in the car.
Technical impact
May affect model selection, inference cost, product capability, and evaluation benchmarks.
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.As an iPhone owner, I primarily use Siri through CarPlay when I'm driving. Apple's voice assistant can handle basic tasks like giving me turn-by-turn directions, making phone calls, sending texts, checking my calendar, creating reminders, and playing music and podcasts. For more challenging questions that stump Siri, I've been turning to ChatGPT.But since my Toyota Camry supports Android Auto as well, I wanted to see how Google Gemini would fare as my in-car assistant. With that in mind, I've been using Gemini with my Android phone when I'm behind the wheel. I've given it a variety of tasks to perform and questions to answer. Also: Does Android Auto make your phone overheat? Try these 8 ways to cool it downWith Google's AI, you can send emails and messages, ask for playlist suggestions, get information on local restaurants and businesses via Google Maps, set reminders, ask any question on your mind, play a game, listen to a story, and more. How did Gemini perform in my experience? You'll have to read on to find out. But here's how I've been using Gemini and how you can, as well. How to set up and use Gemini in the carWhat you need: To rev up Gemini through Android Auto, you need an Android phone and a car that supports Android Auto. Check Google's "Find your ride with Android Auto" page to see if your car's stereo or multimedia system is compatible. If you have the right phone and car, let's go through the initial steps. The process is different on Samsung phones. Here, head to Settings, select Apps, and tap the option to choose default apps. Tap the entry for Digital Assistant app and make sure it says Google. If not, tap the entry on the next screen and change the selection to Google. To confirm that Gemini is the default on your Samsung phone, hold down the power button. A window should pop up telling you that Gemini is your new AI assistant from Google. On your car's multimedia screen, go to Settings, select "Bluetooth and devices," tap the button to add another device, and then tap the button to search for devices. Select the name of your phone on your car's screen after it pops up. The same pairing code appears on your phone and the car screen. Confirm the code on both devices. On the car screen, tap Yes when asked if you want to use Android Auto. You should then see the Android Auto interface on your screen. You're now ready to chat with Gemini. To take the AI for a spin, just say: "Hey, Google" to activate it and tell it what you want. Now, here are some of the tasks I gave it and how it performed. In the end, I liked the ease and effectiveness of chatting with Gemini in the car. Compared with having to use both Siri and ChatGPT with my iPhone, Gemini is more of a one-stop shop, helping me with everything from basic commands to more complex and interactive tasks. From now on, I'll be sure to take my Android phone with me when I drive so I can call on Gemini whenever I want.