Photo: Rivian, Wassym Bensaid
During the Google I/O event this Spring, Rivian promised to launch Google Cast support in 2024, but its owners are still waiting. The latest update on this highly requested feature was offered during a recent Q&A session. Rivian software chief Wassym Bensaid revealed that Google Cast will finally arrive next month with the 2024.47 update.
Rivian is preparing to end the year en fanfare, at least when it comes to new software features. The EV startup will finally deliver on its promise to launch Google Cast support for its vehicles by the end of 2024. The feature was first announced in Spring during the Google I/O event. Rivian was supposed to be the first Android Automotive customer to launch Google Cast support. It's unclear whether Rivian is still the first to launch it.
The juicy bits were delivered on Wednesday during a Q&A session moderated by Quinn Nelson from Snazzy Labs. Rivian software chief Wassym Bensaid confirmed that Google Cast phone projection would roll out next month with the 2024.47 software update. That's the first time Bensaid made such a precise announcement. In October, he said Rivian is in the final testing stages with Google Cast and YouTube, which would be released when the team "gets the right quality bar."
The Q&A session was held at the LA Auto Show during Rivian's Cars & Coffee event, with Rivian fans submitting the question on Reddit. The most upvoted questions were answered during the meeting, and as predicted, Google Cast was a priority for many people. However, Bensaid offered info on a wide range of topics, providing a more accurate image of what's cooking at Rivian's software department.
Chef Bensaid has been a staunch supporter of voice commands, which he thinks will replace buttons and menus in cars rather sooner than later. So far, carmakers that have tried voice commands have failed to convince customers to use them. Since Google, Apple, and Amazon have not been more successful in the voice command department, it's hard to judge them.
Rivian will launch its own voice command stack in 2025. The AI-powered voice control system will enable smarter interactions and support multitasking commands. According to Bensaid, Rivian aims to offer seamless access to every car function through voice, screen, or app.
Besides commands, the voice system will be able to translate text into speech. This will be crucial for reading messages aloud and replying to them using only your voice. Rivian promised its new voice stack will provide a refined user experience. Text-to-speech is set to arrive early next year, probably integrated with the AI-powered voice command system.
Rivian will also offer important updates in the charging department with the launch of the Energy App 2.0. This will provide detailed insights into energy usage and charging patterns and will provide sustainability tips. Starting early next year, Rivian owners will also be able to manually activate DC fast charge preconditioning. This highly requested feature will reduce the charging time for chargers not marked on the map, especially in the winter.
Bensaid offered good news to owners of Gen 1 vehicles, which will continue to get new features as long as the hardware supports them. The EV startup aims to provide long-term support to its vehicles. One example is Launch Mode, which will be offered to Gen 1 R1 Quad vehicles starting next year. Rivian also plans to redesign the instrument cluster and offer custom gauge designs, as well as third-party app support for its vehicles.
The juicy bits were delivered on Wednesday during a Q&A session moderated by Quinn Nelson from Snazzy Labs. Rivian software chief Wassym Bensaid confirmed that Google Cast phone projection would roll out next month with the 2024.47 software update. That's the first time Bensaid made such a precise announcement. In October, he said Rivian is in the final testing stages with Google Cast and YouTube, which would be released when the team "gets the right quality bar."
The Q&A session was held at the LA Auto Show during Rivian's Cars & Coffee event, with Rivian fans submitting the question on Reddit. The most upvoted questions were answered during the meeting, and as predicted, Google Cast was a priority for many people. However, Bensaid offered info on a wide range of topics, providing a more accurate image of what's cooking at Rivian's software department.
Chef Bensaid has been a staunch supporter of voice commands, which he thinks will replace buttons and menus in cars rather sooner than later. So far, carmakers that have tried voice commands have failed to convince customers to use them. Since Google, Apple, and Amazon have not been more successful in the voice command department, it's hard to judge them.
Rivian will launch its own voice command stack in 2025. The AI-powered voice control system will enable smarter interactions and support multitasking commands. According to Bensaid, Rivian aims to offer seamless access to every car function through voice, screen, or app.
Besides commands, the voice system will be able to translate text into speech. This will be crucial for reading messages aloud and replying to them using only your voice. Rivian promised its new voice stack will provide a refined user experience. Text-to-speech is set to arrive early next year, probably integrated with the AI-powered voice command system.
Rivian will also offer important updates in the charging department with the launch of the Energy App 2.0. This will provide detailed insights into energy usage and charging patterns and will provide sustainability tips. Starting early next year, Rivian owners will also be able to manually activate DC fast charge preconditioning. This highly requested feature will reduce the charging time for chargers not marked on the map, especially in the winter.
Bensaid offered good news to owners of Gen 1 vehicles, which will continue to get new features as long as the hardware supports them. The EV startup aims to provide long-term support to its vehicles. One example is Launch Mode, which will be offered to Gen 1 R1 Quad vehicles starting next year. Rivian also plans to redesign the instrument cluster and offer custom gauge designs, as well as third-party app support for its vehicles.
Earlier today, @WassymBensaid participated in a Q&A at the Venice Rivian Space hosted by @SnazzyLabs. There's a lot of information that came from it but here's the tl;dr.
— RivianTrackr (@RivianTrackr) November 20, 2024
- Google Cast coming in 2024.47
- Text-to-Speech coming in 2025
- Energy App 2.0 will offer deeper insights… pic.twitter.com/lOcK5waphn
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