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Google has made a series of announcements related to connected car tech, but at two different levels. On the one hand, the search giant has announced hopes its self-driving cars will gain official release within five years, while elsewhere the Android Auto app has been announced, which lets users interact with their smartphones more safely when on the road.

You’ll need a little bit more than just the app to get started with Android Auto, however; users will need an Android 5.0 or better smartphone and a compatible Pioneer head unit. If you are lacking the latter, however, Google has announced more partners for Auto will arrive in due course.

Back in November, this publication reported that Google had made its first Android Auto APIs available to developers. Now with general availability, users can access various apps including Google Maps, Messages, Google Play Music via an interface that can be used through voice commands or through the steering wheel.

Elsewhere Chris Urmson, software lead for Google’s self-driving cars project, said he aimed to release a finished car within five years. He told USA Today: “We think there’s a business opportunity here, but what’s evident is that making cars is really hard, and the car companies are quite good at it. So, in my mind, the solution is to find a partnership.”

This is happening elsewhere; Ford and Microsoft recently announced they were buddying up for the Ford Service Delivery Network, a cloud-based platform which would enhance the productivity of adding in-car digital services to Ford vehicles.

Plenty of auto manufacturers are on board, from Ford to GM. Indeed, some are unhappy with the slow progress coming from their end. Porsche North America COO Joe Lawrence told the Bloomberg Innovation Forum that connected cars were a “huge emphasis” for his company.

You can find out more about Android Auto here.