Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
If you've been following Android Auto news for over a week, you probably know that things on this side of the world tend to break down without users moving a single finger.
There's no such thing as Android Auto stability, and bugs come but rarely go. A new glitch that showed up out of nowhere last month is slowly but surely becoming more mainstream, making everybody confused, including drivers and even dealerships.
The Android Auto Communication Error 14 is nothing new. It's an error code indicating that "your car's software didn't pass the Android Auto security checks," in Google's words. In plain English, it means the software powering your infotainment system in the car hasn't been validated from a security perspective to run Android Auto.
In theory, unless the carmaker releases a software update, you can't run Android Auto, as the validation is mandatory before the app is allowed to run in the vehicle.
Oddly enough, the error showed up in new BMW cars, with more than a handful of customers claiming they're encountering this message when trying to launch Android Auto in their shiny vehicles. All people reporting the problem on Google's forums purchased BMW models, such as X5 and X6 SUVs. Someone says the message appeared after a dealership installed a language pack on the infotainment unit, as Android Auto worked properly on the original software.
With the message indicating something was wrong with the vehicle software, some BMW buyers contacted the dealership for more information. A commenter on Google's forums claims the BMW dealership told them the work on a fix started in the summer, but developing a fix somehow takes more than originally anticipated.
If the information is accurate, the German carmaker has been aware of the bug since at least July, when it kicked off the work on the patch. It's unclear why the release of a patch takes so long, but BMW buyers certainly didn't expect Android Auto to be broken due to an error on the carmaker's side (especially considering that most bugs happen due to broken Android Auto updates).
Someone in the discussion mentioned above suggests changing the head unit's time zone, though it's unclear if the trick restores Android Auto. Google also suggests that drivers should "make sure the car's date and time are set correctly" and update the Google Play services on the mobile device to the latest version.
Updating Android Auto to the newest release doesn't make a difference. The most recent version is Android Auto 10.6, which shipped a few days ago to production devices. The rollout takes place through the Google Play Store and takes up to several weeks to complete. You can install the latest build manually using the standalone APK file.
The Android Auto Communication Error 14 is nothing new. It's an error code indicating that "your car's software didn't pass the Android Auto security checks," in Google's words. In plain English, it means the software powering your infotainment system in the car hasn't been validated from a security perspective to run Android Auto.
In theory, unless the carmaker releases a software update, you can't run Android Auto, as the validation is mandatory before the app is allowed to run in the vehicle.
Oddly enough, the error showed up in new BMW cars, with more than a handful of customers claiming they're encountering this message when trying to launch Android Auto in their shiny vehicles. All people reporting the problem on Google's forums purchased BMW models, such as X5 and X6 SUVs. Someone says the message appeared after a dealership installed a language pack on the infotainment unit, as Android Auto worked properly on the original software.
With the message indicating something was wrong with the vehicle software, some BMW buyers contacted the dealership for more information. A commenter on Google's forums claims the BMW dealership told them the work on a fix started in the summer, but developing a fix somehow takes more than originally anticipated.
If the information is accurate, the German carmaker has been aware of the bug since at least July, when it kicked off the work on the patch. It's unclear why the release of a patch takes so long, but BMW buyers certainly didn't expect Android Auto to be broken due to an error on the carmaker's side (especially considering that most bugs happen due to broken Android Auto updates).
Someone in the discussion mentioned above suggests changing the head unit's time zone, though it's unclear if the trick restores Android Auto. Google also suggests that drivers should "make sure the car's date and time are set correctly" and update the Google Play services on the mobile device to the latest version.
Updating Android Auto to the newest release doesn't make a difference. The most recent version is Android Auto 10.6, which shipped a few days ago to production devices. The rollout takes place through the Google Play Store and takes up to several weeks to complete. You can install the latest build manually using the standalone APK file.
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