Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
Users have encountered the worst thing that could happen on Android Auto these days: phone overheating with wired and wireless connections.
The record-long heat wave hitting the globe shows no sign of stopping, and this causes massive struggle in every regard. If you use a mobile phone in the car, chances are it'll get excessively hot unless you place it directly in the air vent with the climate system blowing cold air into it.
Keeping the smartphone away from direct sunlight could also help, especially if you keep it connected to a charger while driving.
As it turns out, running Android Auto is no longer a good idea either, as users claim that Google's app causes their phone to overheat regardless of the connection method.
A wired connection is more likely to cause such trouble because phones also receive an extra charge while plugged in. However, the wireless connection should reduce the likelihood of overheating, though users claim that no matter what they do, their phones still get very hot once Android Auto loads on the infotainment screen.
Users started reporting this unusual behavior in May, with several others confirming the phone overheating in the last few weeks. It happens with various phone brands, including Samsung and Google smartphones. Someone says they contacted Google for a replacement unit, but the new phone experiences the same bug.
Google has already asked for phone logs to investigate the problem, but no further information is available. Users couldn't find a solution, as the generic fixes, including deleting the cache and the app's data, do not improve.
Figuring out what goes wrong isn't easy, as phone overheating can happen for various reasons, including apps running in the background and putting the phone to serious work. If Android Auto is indeed the culprit, returning several versions could help restore the expected behavior – this would only work as long as a new app release introduced the glitch. Downgrading is often the solution to update issues, but users encountering the phone overheating haven't made it clear if a specific Android Auto version causes the problem.
In the meantime, you should avoid running Android Auto if the phone overheats whenever you launch the app. The excessive heat could eventually force your phone to enter a protection mode, locking access to the operating system until it cools. Additionally, repeatedly dealing with overheating could damage the phone's hardware, especially when coupled with other heat sources, such as direct sunlight on a hot summer day.
Google did not provide timing information for a potential fix, as the investigation is still in the early phases. Fortunately, the issue doesn't seem very widespread, as only certain users are affected – I couldn't determine a pattern, though, as the existing information is very scarce.
Keeping the smartphone away from direct sunlight could also help, especially if you keep it connected to a charger while driving.
As it turns out, running Android Auto is no longer a good idea either, as users claim that Google's app causes their phone to overheat regardless of the connection method.
A wired connection is more likely to cause such trouble because phones also receive an extra charge while plugged in. However, the wireless connection should reduce the likelihood of overheating, though users claim that no matter what they do, their phones still get very hot once Android Auto loads on the infotainment screen.
Users started reporting this unusual behavior in May, with several others confirming the phone overheating in the last few weeks. It happens with various phone brands, including Samsung and Google smartphones. Someone says they contacted Google for a replacement unit, but the new phone experiences the same bug.
Google has already asked for phone logs to investigate the problem, but no further information is available. Users couldn't find a solution, as the generic fixes, including deleting the cache and the app's data, do not improve.
Figuring out what goes wrong isn't easy, as phone overheating can happen for various reasons, including apps running in the background and putting the phone to serious work. If Android Auto is indeed the culprit, returning several versions could help restore the expected behavior – this would only work as long as a new app release introduced the glitch. Downgrading is often the solution to update issues, but users encountering the phone overheating haven't made it clear if a specific Android Auto version causes the problem.
In the meantime, you should avoid running Android Auto if the phone overheats whenever you launch the app. The excessive heat could eventually force your phone to enter a protection mode, locking access to the operating system until it cools. Additionally, repeatedly dealing with overheating could damage the phone's hardware, especially when coupled with other heat sources, such as direct sunlight on a hot summer day.
Google did not provide timing information for a potential fix, as the investigation is still in the early phases. Fortunately, the issue doesn't seem very widespread, as only certain users are affected – I couldn't determine a pattern, though, as the existing information is very scarce.
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