Renault Group additional requirements
The requirements below complement the Google baseline. They are written for third-party Android Automotive applications submitted for deployment in Renault Group vehicles.
Delta 1: Physical text dimensions
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable readability, typography, and visual-design requirements.
Renault Group delta
Functional text displayed in the vehicle must have a physical character height of at least 3.1 mm on the target display.
Renault Group target values are approximately:
| Level | Physical character height |
|---|---|
| Recommended target | approximately 5.2 mm |
| Acceptable | approximately 4.2 mm |
| Minimum acceptable | 3.1 mm |
The minimum applies to page titles, list elements, pop-ups, toast messages, button labels, main text, secondary text, tabs, navigation instructions, and other functional text.
Example
Accepted approach: a status label is verified on the real target display and measures 4.2 mm high.
Non-compliant approach: the design file uses a familiar sp value, but the rendered text measures only 2.8 mm on the vehicle display.
Evidence for review
Provide a measurement table for each target display, including the rendered physical height of representative titles, body text, labels, and messages.
Delta 2: Physical pictogram dimensions
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable iconography, visibility, and visual-design requirements.
Renault Group delta
A simple pictogram must have a physical height or width of at least 5 mm, depending on its shape.
| Level | Physical pictogram dimension |
|---|---|
| Recommended target | 7 mm |
| Acceptable | 6 mm |
| Minimum acceptable | 5 mm |
Example
Accepted approach: a simple Play icon measures 7 mm in its relevant dimension on the target display.
Non-compliant approach: a critical control relies on a 4 mm icon, even though its touch container is larger.
Evidence for review
Provide physical measurements for representative action and status pictograms on every target display.
Delta 3: Renault Group integration and zoning
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable navigation, layout, template, and consistency requirements.
Renault Group delta
Developers should reuse the multimedia system framework keyboard, settings, list, search, sign-in, and navigation patterns whenever available.
For a custom application screen:
- place the Back control in the upper-left area of the application window;
- keep primary media controls or other primary app controls grouped in a stable area, normally bottom-centred;
- place a validation action immediately after the related text in the reading direction, or below it when space is insufficient;
- keep custom navigation as close as possible to the system navigation pattern.
Example
Accepted approach: Back remains in the upper-left area on all custom screens and primary playback controls remain consistently grouped at the bottom.
Potential review issue: Back moves between corners depending on the page, while primary controls change position without a functional reason.
Evidence for review
Provide an annotated screen map showing navigation controls, primary actions, validation actions, and system-overlap areas.
Delta 4: Driving-state transition behavior
Google baseline
Review Google’s driver-distraction and restricted-state requirements.
Renault Group delta
When the vehicle changes from a non-driving state to a driving state:
- prohibited content must no longer be visible;
- simply dimming prohibited content is not acceptable;
- the application should remain on the same screen only when a safe Back, Close, or other exit path remains available;
- a short message should explain why the feature is no longer available;
- access may be restored when the vehicle returns to the non-driving state, subject to the media restart rule below.
Example
Accepted approach: a long article is replaced by a short “Unavailable while driving” state with an accessible Back action.
Non-compliant approach: the full article remains readable but its controls are greyed out.
Evidence for review
Provide a recording of the application moving from parked to driving and back to parked from every restricted screen.
Delta 5: Explicit restart of video and slideshows
Google baseline
Review Google’s requirements covering video, images, distraction, and driving-optimized content.
Renault Group delta
Entertainment videos, tutorial videos, and automatic image slideshows must not remain available while driving.
After the vehicle returns to the non-driving state:
- the content must not restart automatically;
- an explicit user action is required to restart playback or the slideshow.
Example
Accepted approach: a parked-state tutorial video stops when driving begins. After parking, the screen displays a Play button and waits for user input.
Non-compliant approach: the video automatically resumes from the previous timestamp as soon as the vehicle is parked.
Evidence for review
Provide a state-transition recording showing that restart requires a deliberate user action.
Delta 6: Animation timing and attention limits
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable animation, distraction, and glanceability requirements.
Renault Group delta
For a pedagogical, explanatory, or decorative animation proposed while driving:
- one animation cycle should not exceed 2 seconds;
- total animation duration should not exceed 10 seconds;
- the animation must support immediate comprehension;
- the animation must not delay the user’s next interaction;
- unrelated elements must not create multiple attention zones;
- the animation must remain synchronized with the supported content;
- the user must be able to leave the screen or stop the animation;
- the animation must not hide primary information.
Animated graphical content should target 30 frames per second. If this cannot be achieved reliably, simplify the algorithm or displayed content.
Example
Accepted approach: a two-second state transition clarifies that a mode has changed and does not cover navigation guidance.
Non-compliant approach: several decorative objects loop for 15 seconds in different screen areas while a primary control is temporarily hidden.
Evidence for review
Provide a recording and timing data for every animation available while driving.
Delta 7: Text and notification length
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable content, readability, notification, and driver-distraction requirements.
Renault Group delta
While driving:
- secondary contextual text must not exceed 180 characters including spaces in English or French;
- the equivalent limit defined for Japanese is 31 characters;
- multimedia notification text should be as short as possible and must not exceed 90 characters.
Text-based communications such as SMS, email, and instant messaging must not be displayed for reading while driving. Where applicable, an audio or text-to-speech alternative may be used.
Example
Accepted approach: “Download paused while driving. Open Downloads when parked.”
Non-compliant approach: a multi-paragraph explanation remains displayed in the driving state.
Evidence for review
Provide a copy deck with character counts for every driving-state contextual message and notification, including localized variants.
Delta 8: Loading feedback and transient-information timing
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable system-feedback, responsiveness, and messaging requirements.
Renault Group delta
If the system response time exceeds 2 seconds, display a visible feedback object such as a spinner, progress indicator, or message.
When transient information is used, Renault Group defines these target display durations:
| Information type | Expected display duration |
|---|---|
| Short, simple information | 3 seconds |
| Medium information or actionable information with higher annoyance | approximately 5 seconds |
| Risk, danger, important information, or information with operation buttons | at least 10 seconds |
The application should allow delayed consultation when the information may disappear before the user can safely read it.
Example
Accepted approach: after a network action exceeds two seconds, a progress indicator appears. The completed status is available later in a history or notification area.
Non-compliant approach: the interface appears frozen for four seconds and then briefly flashes a message that cannot be retrieved.
Evidence for review
Provide response-time measurements and the configured duration of every transient message.
Delta 9: Gestures, sliders, and continuous scrolling
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable touch, gesture, task-complexity, and driver-distraction requirements.
Renault Group delta
While driving:
- a list gesture must not continuously scroll across multiple pages regardless of gesture amplitude;
- simultaneous two-handed gestures are prohibited;
- precise drag-and-drop to a small target is prohibited;
- simple tap or swipe alternatives should be preferred;
- sliders should support a tap on the slider track or provide plus and minus controls;
- volume adjustments must remain step-based to avoid sudden large changes;
- long press should be limited to secondary functions related to the primary function.
Example
Accepted approach: a setting can be adjusted with large plus and minus controls, and a list advances predictably.
Non-compliant approach: completing a driving-state task requires dragging a small object precisely into a small drop zone.
Evidence for review
Provide gesture recordings and dimensions for all custom targets, sliders, and drop areas.
Delta 10: Sound and visual synchronization
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable feedback and multimodal-interaction requirements.
Renault Group delta
For a sound event starting at T0, the associated visual event should start within the following window:
| Level | Earliest visual start | Latest visual start |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended | T0 - 100 ms | T0 + 40 ms |
| Acceptable | T0 - 200 ms | T0 + 100 ms |
Example
Accepted approach: a visible confirmation begins within the acceptable synchronization window around the confirmation sound.
Non-compliant approach: the sound plays and the visual confirmation appears noticeably later than 100 ms after sound start.
Evidence for review
Provide timing traces or a frame-level recording for synchronized sound and visual events.
Delta 11: Country-dependent lockout behavior
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable regional, market, and driver-distraction requirements.
Renault Group delta
The definition of driving state and the lockout of specific content may vary by country or region. Developers must not hard-code a universal developer-defined threshold or assume identical behavior in every market.
The application must use the state and market behavior supplied or specified for the target Renault Group vehicle program.
Examples of content that may be subject to market variation include media artwork, radio logos, contact images, points-of-interest images, keyboard search, telephone-number entry, navigation-destination entry, and games.
Example
Accepted approach: availability is driven by the vehicle-provided state and the approved market configuration.
Non-compliant approach: the application enables a feature in every country based only on a hard-coded speed value.
Evidence for review
Provide a market-by-market availability matrix for every feature whose behavior changes while driving.
Delta 12: Games while driving
Google baseline
Review Google’s applicable rules for app categories, distraction, video, animation, text, and interaction.
Renault Group delta
A game may be unavailable in some markets regardless of its interaction design. Where a game is permitted while driving, it must:
- remain interruptible at any time;
- use audio to present questions or tasks;
- use voice for answers;
- avoid touch interaction except for simple controls such as Next, Pause, Play, or Repeat;
- provide a long response window rather than pressuring the driver;
- avoid dangerous hand or foot movements;
- not display scoring or competitive results while driving.
Example
Accepted approach: an allowed audio quiz reads a question aloud, accepts a voice answer, and offers simple Pause and Repeat controls.
Non-compliant approach: the game displays a scoreboard, requires rapid touch answers, or asks occupants to perform physical movements.
Evidence for review
Provide the approved market scope, the full driving-state interaction flow, and a recording of interruption and resume behavior.
