Take a call and keep Google Maps open with Assistant’s ‘driving mode’

Your phone can become the ultimate dashboard screen with Google Assistant’s upcoming “driving mode.”

Coming this summer to Android phones with Google Assistant, the new mode can be summoned by saying, “Hey Google, let’s drive” or if it detects a connection to your car’s Bluetooth system — no separate app needed. The new feature was announced at the Google I/O conference Tuesday in Mountain View, California.

If you have Google Maps open, the new driving mode will let you call people or play music by giving voice commands. You can also send messages, play podcasts, and plenty of other things just by talking to your phone.

There’s a personalized dashboard in driving mode that includes your calendar items, directions to your next appointment, recent podcasts, and other searches and places you usually go to or look up.

Here’s what driving mode looks like:

Google Assistant is already available on Google Maps, and coming soon the voice assistant will be integrated into Google’s other driving navigation app, Waze.

The Assistant will also soon work with Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. It will let you set climate controls, see how much gas you have left, or know if you locked your doors. The digital assistant will connect with cars that use Hyundai’s “Blue Link” and Mercedes-Benz’s “Mercedes me connect.”