This Google app used by millions of people to be shut down on Play Store

This popular Google app, which is used by millions around the world, will be discontinued.

Google will replace this popular app with a substitute. (Google )

In with the new and out with the old. For Google, being sentimental is foreign, even when it comes to certain apps that are used by millions. Google had made great strides in software for vehicles, with its Android Auto programme. The software allows car users to connect to their smartphones, and take control of their journey. It is a simple app and has a limited number of side-apps that can also lend a hand while the user is driving. It offers essential features like navigation, call and text management, and even music playback.

However, not all cars come with built-in support for Android Auto, which means that many users did not have access to the experience. Google used to provide access to some of these features on smartphones with the help of an app called Android Auto for Phone Screens. This is the app that is now shutting down.

The company explained that the Android Auto for Phone Screens app, which has picked up around five million downloads on the Play Store, will be discontinued later this year. The company confirmed to 9to5Google that the Android Auto for Phone Screens feature will stop working on Android devices later this year, once Android 12 arrives in the coming weeks. This means that users who were used to their makeshift infotainment system will soon have to adapt to a new solution, which we have listed below.

Early indications that the feature could be going away permanently were spotted by users who noticed a message when launching the Android Auto for Phone Screens. They were greeted by a message that said Android Auto is only available for car screens and suggesting they try the “Google Assistant driving mode” instead. These users reportedly saw the message in advance and ahead of the eventual shutdown as they were on preview versions of Android 12 via Pixel devices.

Users who have been relying on the Android Auto for Phone Screens app don't need to be unduly alarmed, though. Google recently added several Android Auto features to its Google Maps app. This means that users can send and check their text messages, make and receive calls, and listen to music, all inside the Google Maps app with the Google Assistant support built-in.

Looks like Google is giving no choice to users except to migrate to Google Assistant - like it or lump it.