Why You Can Trust CNET Honda Gold Wing is the first motorcycle to get Android Auto integration
Now it's not just the Apple fans having all the fun.
Now Android devotees can enjoy the Android Auto experience on two wheels.
Honda was among the first motorcycle manufacturers in the world to offer Apple CarPlay on its bikes. While that may not sound like a big deal to someone who's used to seeing it everywhere in cars, CarPlay on the Honda Gold Wing was pretty monumental. After the Gold Wing, it went to the Africa Twin, and it's likely to continue rolling out to other models.
That's all well and good if you happen to be an Apple user, but what about all the die-hard Android fans out there? Well, you were basically out of luck until now. See, Honda announced a while ago that the Gold Wing would be the first bike to get Android Auto too, and now that update is available free for Gold Wing owners.
Generally, motorcycles are -- by necessity -- fairly bare-bones. The danger of distracting a rider is real, but Honda found a way to integrate four-wheeled infotainment into a two-wheel package that makes sense and is relatively easy to use without pulling a rider's eyes or attention from the task at hand.
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As with the CarPlay setup, with Android Auto on the Gold Wing, you do have to have a third-party Bluetooth communication device in addition to your phone. For example, I own and love a Cardo Packtalk Bold system (with JBL speakers, natch) and found it worked well with the Gold Wing's CarPlay system. Sena users will be just fine too, but if you don't have a communicator at all, you're out of luck.
The other catch is that it's compatible only with Android 5.0 or later phones, but if you're still living that pre-Lollipop life, then as Flava Flav once said, "I can't do nuttin' for ya, man."