Maybe Google's new Android Automotive logo will help us all tell it apart from Android Auto

Totally not easy to confuse those names or anything

Mobile technology has dramatically changed the driving experience. We're all familiar with Android Auto — it connects your phone to your car's infotainment system, providing all the music, maps, and information you could possibly need as you navigate your route. Meanwhile, Google's newer in-car software, Android Automotive, is not yet widely available, but continues to gain new features steadily. While the two are often confused thanks to their similar names, it may be a little easier to differentiate between them now that Android Automotive has a new logo.

While Android powers both systems, Auto runs on your phone and uses your vehicle's in-dash screen and buttons as an interface, working in conjunction with your car manufacturer's native system. Automotive, on the other hand, is designed to be your car's native system, providing audio, navigation, hands-free calling, and other useful functionality, while running directly on your car's hardware (no need to connect your phone).

Al Sutton of Snapp Automotive posted the new logo on Twitter, showing that it consists of a distinctive representation of the acronym AAOS, which stands for Android Automotive Operating System. In addition, the folks at 9to5Google shared the animation used during startup.

Currently, Android Automotive is either available or coming soon to only a small number of car models, so it'll likely be a while before most of us get to experience it. Perhaps, as the list of features grows, it will offer enough value for even more automobile manufacturers to consider offering it in place of their own homegrown systems. Only time will tell.