TD Ameritrade has integrated with in-vehicle software platforms Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon’s Echo Auto to give customers the ability to check their stock portfolio or get the latest financial news while sitting behind the wheel.
TD Ameritrade launched the suite of in-vehicle experiences this week, the latest move by the company to place investors just a voice command or click away from a stock price or other financial information.
TD Ameritrade Chief Information Officer Vijay Sankaran called this a “natural next step” and another way the company is “using complex technology to weave investing seamlessly into our daily lives.”
For now, customers won’t be able to make trades within the vehicle. Although that might be another “natural next step,” considering the trajectory of TD Ameritrade. Customers already can trade over the phone, via a desktop computer or mobile app and, more recently, through Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.
Instead, the features will depend on which in-vehicle software platform a customer is using. For those with Apple CarPlay, customers can keep track of real-time market news with a new TDAN Radio app from the TD Ameritrade Network. The network will broadcast news live via audio streaming optimized for CarPlay.
Drivers using the Android Auto and Echo Auto platforms have the option to use voice commands to unlock market performance summaries and sector updates, hear real-time quotes and check account balances and portfolio performance.
“In a connected world like ours, we have to meet investors where they are, whether at home, in the office, or on the go,” Sunayna Tuteja, head of strategic partnerships and emerging technologies at TD Ameritrade said in a statement. “In-vehicle technology offers a new type of connectivity that further breaks down barriers to accessing financial education and markets.”
