Key Takeaways
- The taskbar location in Android Auto can be changed by enabling or disabling Quick Controls in settings.
- Quick Controls allow for a bottom taskbar with media controls, while disabling moves the taskbar to the side.
- On your Android Auto display, go to Settings > Show Quick Controls for Apps.
Android Auto doesn’t have the same level of customization as Android phones and tablets. The layout, especially, is pretty much locked in, but you may be surprised to learn that you can change the location of the taskbar. The settings are very unclear about how to do this—we can help.
I’m not exactly sure what the “default” location of the taskbar in Android Auto is supposed to be. With some of my phones, it appears at the bottom, but with others, it’s on the side. I didn’t realize it could be changed until I stumbled upon the seemingly unrelated “Quick Controls” option in the settings.
The Key is “Quick Controls”
The photo above shows the taskbar at the bottom with media controls for Spotify. Those “Quick Controls” can only be displayed horizontally across the bottom. So, when Quick Controls are enabled, the taskbar is at the bottom, but when disabled, the taskbar moves to the side.
The good news is you can move the taskbar. The bad news is you have to choose between having the Quick Controls or not. They’re handy if you want to have an app, such as Google Maps, in full screen while still having easy access to media controls. Alternatively, you could just put the apps in split-screen layout so you can see both.
Anyway, if you want to play around with this yourself, simply open “Settings” on your Android Auto display and toggle the switch for “Show Quick Controls for Apps.” On = bottom taskbar; Off = side taskbar.
That’s really all there is to it. Personally, I like having the taskbar on the side, closer to my hands on the steering wheel. I essentially always have Google Maps and Spotify open in split-screen mode, so the loss of Quick Controls isn’t a big deal to me. You can choose your own path.
