Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
It's never quiet in the Android Auto world, as bugs come and go, turning a stable and reliable experience into a dream that never comes true.
The most recent problem plaguing Android Auto users concerns WhatsApp, one of the most popular instant messaging platforms on Android and iPhone.
Users reported in mid-July that making calls through WhatsApp when the mobile device is connected to the car works as expected, but every call is eventually interrupted approximately one minute later.
The issue happens with everything being up-to-date, and users said the generic workarounds in the Android Auto world didn't help restore the expected functionality.
You'd think a bug reported in July is already fixed, but a few days ago, the problem has become more widespread. A growing number of users now report the same glitch in their cars, explaining that WhatsApp calls automatically disconnect approximately one minute after the connection is established.
Someone says the connection only drops during audio calls, as video calls work correctly. However, the problem happens only when Android Auto runs on the screen, as disconnecting the mobile device from the head unit restores the expected behavior.
A Google Community Specialist asked for additional bug information in August, but the issue has never been fixed. No update has been offered since then, so it's unclear if Google even started an investigation, but based on users' reports, the bug never received a fix.
It's impossible to tell who is affected by this bug's comeback, but the easiest workaround is to disconnect the mobile device and use WhatsApp when Android Auto isn't connected. If you want the sound routed to the vehicle's speakers, you can keep the device connected to the car via Bluetooth.
The issue happened on Android 13 and Android 14 – back in July, when the bug appeared for the first users, Android 14 wasn't yet available, so the new operating system inherited the problem from its predecessor. It also doesn't seem exclusive to a specific brand or phone model, as I'm seeing reports from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, and Google Pixel owners signaling the same error in their cars.
Installing the latest Android Auto builds doesn't help. The most recent version is Android Auto 10.9 beta, with a stable release expected in the coming days. Google releases Android Auto updates at a faster pace thanks to its beta program, as testing builds land for registered users almost weekly. However, it doesn't seem like the latest update includes a fix for this bug, meaning that the next stable release won't bring any improvement either.
Google has yet to acknowledge the bug and begin an investigation, so it's impossible to tell why the problem is becoming more widespread and whether it could receive a fix in the coming updates.
Users reported in mid-July that making calls through WhatsApp when the mobile device is connected to the car works as expected, but every call is eventually interrupted approximately one minute later.
The issue happens with everything being up-to-date, and users said the generic workarounds in the Android Auto world didn't help restore the expected functionality.
You'd think a bug reported in July is already fixed, but a few days ago, the problem has become more widespread. A growing number of users now report the same glitch in their cars, explaining that WhatsApp calls automatically disconnect approximately one minute after the connection is established.
Someone says the connection only drops during audio calls, as video calls work correctly. However, the problem happens only when Android Auto runs on the screen, as disconnecting the mobile device from the head unit restores the expected behavior.
A Google Community Specialist asked for additional bug information in August, but the issue has never been fixed. No update has been offered since then, so it's unclear if Google even started an investigation, but based on users' reports, the bug never received a fix.
It's impossible to tell who is affected by this bug's comeback, but the easiest workaround is to disconnect the mobile device and use WhatsApp when Android Auto isn't connected. If you want the sound routed to the vehicle's speakers, you can keep the device connected to the car via Bluetooth.
The issue happened on Android 13 and Android 14 – back in July, when the bug appeared for the first users, Android 14 wasn't yet available, so the new operating system inherited the problem from its predecessor. It also doesn't seem exclusive to a specific brand or phone model, as I'm seeing reports from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, and Google Pixel owners signaling the same error in their cars.
Installing the latest Android Auto builds doesn't help. The most recent version is Android Auto 10.9 beta, with a stable release expected in the coming days. Google releases Android Auto updates at a faster pace thanks to its beta program, as testing builds land for registered users almost weekly. However, it doesn't seem like the latest update includes a fix for this bug, meaning that the next stable release won't bring any improvement either.
Google has yet to acknowledge the bug and begin an investigation, so it's impossible to tell why the problem is becoming more widespread and whether it could receive a fix in the coming updates.
Google News