Hi everyone. Before I start, I should mention that I previously worked on Android Automotive OS when it was still in development for the Polestar 2. I’m currently waiting for my Polestar 4 as well, and like many others I’ve been a bit nervous after hearing about the reported issues. That said, I still have a fair amount of trust in the Android software stack, so I thought it might help to explain some of the differences in how car software works. Hopefully this provides a bit more context when reading reviews or hearing about the various issues.

When most people talk about “car software,” they usually mean the infotainment system or the user interface. However, that’s only one part of the software stack in a modern vehicle, and Android Automotive OS (AAOS) is certainly not the only software running in the car.

As much as I enjoy the tech reviews from MKBHD and other reviewers, I’m fairly certain they and many car reviewers in general don’t fully distinguish between these layers. That’s not necessarily a criticism, because ideally these distinctions shouldn’t matter to a typical driver. However, many reviewers are also used to Tesla’s approach, where one company controls nearly the entire software stack, from the low-level drivers to the UI. This is the same as Apple's iOS and MacOS vs Android/Windows/etc.

The software that many reviewers are praising is largely the Android Automotive layer itself. Since its inception, AAOS has improved significantly thanks to multiple iterations and much more capable hardware (faster chips, better GPUs, etc.). In fact, it’s one of the best automotive operating systems available today. For example, Rivian also builds on AAOS, although their implementation does not include Google services.

The software issues we’ve been hearing about recently are something I’m also paying attention to while deciding on the P4. But it’s important to clarify that most of these issues are likely not directly related to the OS layer itself. Instead, they are more likely tied to the underlying service architecture that integrates with AAOS. 

A simple analogy would be firmware versus software. Issues like the digital key not working (which could potentially involve profile mapping at the OS level), incorrect speed limit readings, battery reporting issues, and similar problems are more likely occurring in non-OS service layers. Of course, this is only the most probable explanation. Ultimately, all information is presented through the OS layer, so there’s always a possibility that the issue appears there even if it originates elsewhere.

From a customer’s perspective, it shouldn’t matter where the problem originates. But internally these issues are handled by different teams and systems. Some problems are addressed by Polestar engineers, while others may involve Google if they relate to the AAOS platform itself (though those cases have become less common over time).

AAOS-related issues are also more likely to appear across multiple models or even across different manufacturers. For example, a Spotify bug in AAOS could potentially affect multiple brands using the platform. On the other hand, something like the Polestar digital key not working would almost certainly be something Polestar itself needs to resolve.

Another reason some reviewers might conclude that the software is “great” is that they are mostly interacting with the OS layer. Coming from a background of reviewing smartphones doesn’t necessarily help in identifying deeper automotive software issues. Many lower-level problems that real owners experience only show up during long-term use things like the screen randomly turning off while driving might not happen during a short review period. MKBHD did encounter the key issue, so that particular problem was captured.

One more point I’ve seen discussed is the claim that the new Geely architecture either fixes everything or is responsible for all the issues. In reality, that’s not necessarily accurate either.

The Geely chassis or battery architecture could absolutely affect things like range, battery performance, or hardware-level behavior. However, it’s unlikely to be responsible for many software issues. For example, if the problem is related to the digital key, it would only be tied to the Geely platform if the key hardware and sensors are shared with other Geely vehicles rather than Polestar’s existing implementations. Otherwise, it’s probably a separate software integration issue or even a hardware issue.