Polestar is now offering its own video streaming app for the Polestar 2, which brings content from news services and national TV programs to the 11-inch central display when the camera is standing. Interestingly, the app illustrates the flexibility of the Google platform, but also that the services themselves do not develop for it.
The new video streaming app is now available as a beta in the specially curated one Google Play Store for Android Automotive OS available for download. The version of the Play Store intended for vehicles only contains apps specially developed for this platform and individually approved by Google and not the entire range as users know from smartphones or tablets.
The Tagesschau is there in Germany
The available content includes the Tagesschau in Germany, SVT in Sweden and Al Jazeera as well as BBC Ideas for all European markets. There should also be video playlists curated by Polestar. According to the manufacturer, further specific feeds for other markets will be added on an ongoing basis. “We will add more channels, which gives the app enormous growth potential as it is possible to integrate any web-based stream,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. The data volume used by the app is included in the vehicle's mobile phone tariff, so there are no additional costs.
Look only when parking
As is usual with other video apps or cars with TV tuners, the moving image can only be called up when parking or charging. With the new S-Class from Mercedes-Benz (test), for example, the image can only be seen below 5 km/h, at higher speeds only the sound remains active. Even with Polestar, only the sound can still be played in the background when you exit parking mode.
The providers themselves do not develop
In today's announcement, Polestar explains that one of the advantages of the Android Automotive OS in Polestar 2 is the “ease” with which the app can be further developed. Interestingly, it is now Polestar itself that offers a video streaming app for the car, rather than the content providers doing it directly. Tagesschau, BBC and Co. do not develop, but instead integrate selected content into the app developed by Polestar. When it comes to video streaming, however, the general public is likely to think of providers such as Apple TV +, Disney +, Netflix or Prime Video, which are not yet available in the Polestar 2 Play Store.
Ingenlath's statement about today's release is therefore very accurate: “We have released the new Polestar Video App as a beta version so that our customers can enjoy the advantages of video streaming in the car sooner rather than later.”
Update May 7th, 2021 2:28 pm
Polestar is offering the video streaming app in the Google Play Store, so that ComputerBase asked whether this would also be installed in other vehicles with Android Automotive OS can. The question is still only of a theoretical nature, because Polestar is the only provider with AAOS, but Ford, for example, also wants to rely on the system in the future.
As a spokeswoman explained, could the app can only be installed on the Polestar 2. As the developer of the app, Polestar can specify in the backend on which devices the app is offered. In principle, however, the manufacturer would have nothing against offering the app from other manufacturers.