Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google Maps has long been my go-to navigation app on Android Auto, but in the last couple of years, Waze just seemed a choice that is better tailored to the needs of a driver who spends most of the time on urban roads and struggles with modern-day problems like painfully-long traffic jams.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Google Maps didn't serve me well, as during my time with it I rarely came across something to complain about.
Sure enough, many of those relying on the app these days have a completely different opinion, as Google Maps on Android Auto is currently struggling with a GPS error that pushes way too many users to alternative apps.
First reported in January in Android Auto 8.5, the location problem is still around these days, and unfortunately, the recently released version 8.8 doesn’t bring any good news for users out there. If anything, it actually includes bad news because the new update not only fails to fix the issue, but is also causing it for some devices that weren’t encountering the GPS connection glitch before.
Google hasn’t released a changelog for Android Auto 8.8, but I’m seeing more and more users claiming the new version is breaking down Google Maps on their phones too.
The flagged behavior is exactly the one that showed up in mid-January. Google Maps fails to determine the location of the car, and as a direct consequence, it’s unable to provide route guidance. This only happens when Android Auto is running on the head unit, so in theory, disconnecting the mobile device from the receiver and running Google Maps on the phone is one possible workaround.
Given no official workaround is available right now, jumping ship and going back to an earlier version of Android Auto seems to be one way to restore Google Maps. As far I can tell, though you shouldn't take my word for granted, the last version that works as expected is 8.4, as the error was first spotted in the very next release.
Meanwhile, the issue has become rather widespread, and while Google says it’s looking into reports, users themselves are also giving a try to all the other unofficial fixes that could bring things back to normal in their cars.
Unfortunately, what works for some doesn’t seem to work for others, so fixing this bug by trial and error looks to be the only way to go. If downgrading Android Auto to version 8.4 doesn’t restore the GPS functionality in Google Maps, just make sure you uninstall the latest navigation app updates as well.
The location issues seem to be caused by some sort of compatibility problem, so there's a very good chance Android Auto isn't the only culprit. If you share everybody's sentiment and are not willing to downgrade Android Auto, you might want to stick with Google Maps on the phone or just switch to another navigation app until a fix gets the go-ahead.
Sure enough, many of those relying on the app these days have a completely different opinion, as Google Maps on Android Auto is currently struggling with a GPS error that pushes way too many users to alternative apps.
First reported in January in Android Auto 8.5, the location problem is still around these days, and unfortunately, the recently released version 8.8 doesn’t bring any good news for users out there. If anything, it actually includes bad news because the new update not only fails to fix the issue, but is also causing it for some devices that weren’t encountering the GPS connection glitch before.
Google hasn’t released a changelog for Android Auto 8.8, but I’m seeing more and more users claiming the new version is breaking down Google Maps on their phones too.
The flagged behavior is exactly the one that showed up in mid-January. Google Maps fails to determine the location of the car, and as a direct consequence, it’s unable to provide route guidance. This only happens when Android Auto is running on the head unit, so in theory, disconnecting the mobile device from the receiver and running Google Maps on the phone is one possible workaround.
Given no official workaround is available right now, jumping ship and going back to an earlier version of Android Auto seems to be one way to restore Google Maps. As far I can tell, though you shouldn't take my word for granted, the last version that works as expected is 8.4, as the error was first spotted in the very next release.
Meanwhile, the issue has become rather widespread, and while Google says it’s looking into reports, users themselves are also giving a try to all the other unofficial fixes that could bring things back to normal in their cars.
Unfortunately, what works for some doesn’t seem to work for others, so fixing this bug by trial and error looks to be the only way to go. If downgrading Android Auto to version 8.4 doesn’t restore the GPS functionality in Google Maps, just make sure you uninstall the latest navigation app updates as well.
The location issues seem to be caused by some sort of compatibility problem, so there's a very good chance Android Auto isn't the only culprit. If you share everybody's sentiment and are not willing to downgrade Android Auto, you might want to stick with Google Maps on the phone or just switch to another navigation app until a fix gets the go-ahead.
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