Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- SK Telecom, a top mobile carrier in South Korea, will launch an open pilot service that applies its popular navigation app, T-Map, to Android Auto, a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features from an Android device to a car's compatible in-dash information and entertainment head unit.

SK Telecom (SKT) aims to distribute an official version in 2021 by increasing the level of completion based on user data during its pilot service. "The T-Map Android Auto service is expected to greatly improve the convenience of drivers," said SKT's mobility business head Lee Jong-ho.

T-Map is South Korea's largest mobility platform with around 13 million monthly active users. SKT applied functions that users use most frequently to T-Map Android Auto by analyzing big data. The service supports major T-Map functions and can be easily operated by the display's touchscreen and jog handle.

Android Auto, unveiled in 2015, connects to a smartphone to mirror features such as navigation, music playing and text messaging to a car infotainment system. Once an Android device is paired with the head unit, the system mirrors qualified apps from the device to the vehicle's display, with a simple, driver-friendly user interface.

In July 2018, Google launched the Korean version of Android Auto in South Korea by using a local navigation system due to restrictions on map data provided by the American tech giant.​