Android Auto may finally have a solution for weather info on smaller screens: Jimothy, the raccoon

Joe Maring / Android AuthorityTL;DR Android Auto is working on a new weather experience for smaller screens, and it involves Jimothy, the viral raccoon. We bring to you a good look at how this new weather display system works, along with some of its accompanying elements. The feature was manually activated in the latest Android Auto beta, and there’s no word on when or if Google will roll it out widely. Google announced a wave of new Android Auto upgrades at I/O this year, including visual improvements and better compatibility with different screen sizes. However, in its current form, Android Auto users with smaller head units miss out on core experiences, such as weather, solely due to screen-size limitations. It now looks like a future version of Android Auto could remedy this.You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.Digging into the recently rolled-out Android Auto version 17.6.66 (beta), we spotted signs of a new weather experience, specifically for smaller screens. The code for this particular weather experience references “Jimothy,” the beloved raccoon who became a social media sensation in July.When available, users should see a small raccoon moving across the music player interface with a bubble above it displaying the weather. We’ve activated the feature to give you an early look at how it works, along with some of its limitations.In addition to Jimothy hopping across the music widget with the current weather, the music player area will also display other elements, such as rain, clouds, or sun, depending on the weather in your location.One downside is that the feature cannot be activated easily, at least based on our early findings. We’ve found that the raccoon and other weather-related elements appear only when you switch the device theme in Settings > Theme (Automatic, Light, Dark), or when you turn on Android Auto.AssembleDebug / Android AuthorityWe also get a sense that the raccoon here may be too small for something as important as a weather alert. There’s a great chance you’d miss it entirely if you’re not paying close attention. This could be because the feature isn’t fully ready yet, and Google may need to make a few more adjustments before rolling it out more widely. Nevertheless, a feature like this will be welcomed by Android Auto users who miss out on the default weather card simply because of their screen size.AssembleDebug / Android AuthorityEven though the feature is available in the latest Android Auto beta, there’s no guarantee that Google will ever make it a core part of the app in a future release. But since users currently have to rely on third-party solutions or ask Google Gemini or Assistant for a weather update, we feel an option like this would be a great addition to the platform.This isn’t the only Android Auto-related change we’ve uncovered today, as Google also seems to be preparing a new green icon for the app.⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.