App design considerations
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While most design aspects of notifications are controlled by car makers, there are a few areas where app developers can influence design.
Car makers can customize many aspects of the notification experience in their vehicles, including styling of notification cards, timing of notification motions, and layout of the Notification Center.
App developers can influence notification design in the following ways:
- Background color (navigation only): Supply a background color for navigation notification cards, to be used at the discretion of car makers
- Icons: Supply app icons (for branding) and other icons as relevant, including avatars and large navigation icons (such as turn arrows)
- Accent color: Supply app accent color, to be used to color the app icon at the discretion of car makers
- Text length: Make sure text for notifications is as concise as possible
Keep in mind that notifications in cars are intentionally kept simple, to avoid distracting the driver. Fewer effects are supported (see technical note below) and car makers can choose to truncate any text beyond a certain length when the car is moving. Text that is not concise may end up being truncated and unclear.
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Last updated 2024-07-23 UTC.
[null,null,["Last updated 2024-07-23 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eCar makers control most design aspects of in-car notifications, such as styling, timing, and layout in the Notification Center.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eApp developers can influence some notification design elements like background color (for navigation only), icons (including app icons and navigation icons), accent color, and text length.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIn-car notifications are intentionally minimalistic to avoid driver distraction, with limited effects and potential text truncation for conciseness.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# App design considerations\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nWhile most design aspects of notifications are controlled by car makers, there are a few areas where app developers can influence design.\n\nCar makers can customize many aspects of the notification experience in their vehicles, including styling of notification cards, timing of notification motions, and layout of the Notification Center.\n\nApp developers can influence notification design in the following ways:\n\n- **Background color** (navigation only): Supply a background color for navigation notification cards, to be used at the discretion of car makers\n- **Icons:** Supply app icons (for branding) and other icons as relevant, including avatars and large navigation icons (such as turn arrows)\n- **Accent color:** Supply app accent color, to be used to color the app icon at the discretion of car makers\n- **Text length:** Make sure text for notifications is as concise as possible\n\nKeep in mind that notifications in cars are intentionally kept simple, to avoid distracting the driver. Fewer effects are supported (see technical note below) and car makers can choose to truncate any text beyond a certain length when the car is moving. Text that is not concise may end up being truncated and unclear.\n| **Note:** Some effects that are supported on phones are not supported for notifications in Android Automotive OS. For technical details, consult [Notification API changes and restrictions for cars](https://developer.android.com/training/cars/notifications#api-changes)."]]