Samsung Driving Insights app could be the backseat driver no one asked for

Source: Android Authority

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR

• A leaked One UI 9 build includes a new app called Driving Insights.
• Driving Insights uses AI to generate advice about your driving habits.
• One UI 9 is expected to launch this summer.

Overview

One UI 8.5 still hasn’t reached many Samsung devices, but the company’s Android 17‑based One UI 9 update is well into development. In addition to new home‑screen search options, Samsung is working on an entirely new app—Driving Insights—that tracks your precise location and uses AI to give you feedback about your perceived driving patterns, generating weekly, personalized summaries.

The app aims to help you “see your habits and patterns at a glance” and “build better driving habits.” Using the sensors in your phone, One UI can gauge aspects of your driving such as speed, braking intensity, and turn sharpness. The app can be configured to start when your phone connects to your car’s Bluetooth, and you can filter past drives by time and distance.

Weekly Reports

Driving Insights delivers weekly reports (via Samsung’s Now Brief) that summarize your driving style. Sample messages include:

• “This week, you drove in a defensive style. Steady and cautious—keep it up!”
• “This week, your driving had a dynamic pattern. Try to keep speed and steering smooth for consistency.”
• “This week, you did a lot of long‑distance driving. Make sure to watch out for drowsy driving and take breaks every now and then.”
• “This week, your driving was practical and balanced. Good balance of safety and efficiency.”
• “This week, your driving showed a spirited style. Keep an eye on smooth acceleration and braking for even safer trips.”

Code Snippets

Strings extracted from the leaked APK reveal how the app categorizes driving events:

Rapid acceleration and Sudden deceleration

Recorded when you speed up or slow down by 18.6 mph within 3 seconds.

Turns lasting for 1.5 seconds or longer at a sharp angle. At faster speeds, wider turns will also be counted.

Sharp turns

On‑Device AI Processing

Driving Insights appears to perform on‑device AI processing, crunching data collected by your phone to generate feedback. While novel, the practical usefulness remains uncertain, especially given the safety‑critical nature of driving.

Potential Concerns

• AI agreeableness: The app’s tone may be overly positive, e.g., describing “spirited” driving while advising smoother acceleration and braking—potentially downplaying risky behavior.
• Reliability: Relying on AI for driving advice could be problematic if the analysis is inaccurate or overly generic.

Release Timeline

One UI 9, including the Driving Insights app, is expected to debut on Samsung’s next‑gen foldables this summer.

⚠️ Disclaimer: An APK teardown predicts features based on work‑in‑progress code. Predicted features may not make it to the public release.