The last Android Auto app I expected to enjoy was Adobe Acrobat - but it's actually useful

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Android Auto has a number of surprising apps , including ones for finding a parking spot, ones for tracking storms , and even games . One of the most recent additions, though, may just be the most surprising of all.

Google's smart driving companion recently added support for the Adobe Acrobat app. When I first saw it, I had the same question many other people did… why ? Trying to read a PDF on a small car screen doesn't seem ideal, and I'm obviously not trying to read or sign anything while on the road.

Also: 6 Android Auto apps I wish I discovered sooner, because they make driving much easier

When I opened the app, I was more confused. It doesn't display PDFs, even if you're parked. After spending some time with it, though, I found it more useful than I expected.

Since your car's screen doesn't display your PDF's contents, the app's usefulness comes from the "Read Aloud" feature, which does exactly what it says: reads a document aloud at the tap of a button. It has basic play, pause, and skip controls, all of which you can control with your screen or steering wheel buttons.

To start, I tried the app with a PDF of a book I'm currently reading on my Kindle. The read-aloud feature used a typical text-to-speech voice and wasn't audiobook-quality, but it was good enough that I'd feel fine knocking out some chapters on the road. If you're the type of person who listens to books in the car, I suspect you'd much rather choose an actual audiobook, but this option is there in a pinch.

Also: After years of using Android Auto, these are the 8 phone cooling tips I swear by

Where I think this feature would be really useful is when the voice doesn't matter. If you want to catch up on meeting notes, review an important document, study before a class, or listen to an industry report on the way to work, this could be a fantastic productivity boost.

I'm helping a local non-profit apply for a grant, and since it involves the government, there's an immense amount of information to wade through. I was able to pull up the guidebook on a drive this morning, and while it wasn't riveting reading, it did help me get through a few sections.

The Adobe Acrobat app definitely won't make my daily rotation on Android Auto, but it's a sneakily useful app when I need it.