Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
It's safe to say that customers who want the best Google experience should get a Pixel phone. The setup is impossible to match. A Google phone running Google software on a Google operating system, so it's not a surprise that users are left perplexed every time a new bug shows up.
This is what happens right now in the Android Auto world, where the Google Pixel 8 is malfunctioning in the most ridiculous ways.
The Pixel 8 series was announced a few weeks ago, coming with Android 14 out of the box and promising a seamless experience on all fronts.
Unfortunately, Android Auto users learned the hard way that this isn't always true. The car experience fails to load due to a reason that nobody could determine. The connection between the phone and the head unit is detected, and the mobile device starts charging, but Android Auto never fires up.
Users claim that the same setup worked flawlessly with a Google Pixel 7, so the Pixel 8 is often blamed for the ruined Android Auto experience.
The Pixel 8 problems on Android Auto have become more widespread, and a discussion thread on Google's forums is already marked as "a trending issue." Users in the thread claim that nothing worked to get Android Auto up and running – not even resetting the mobile device and the infotainment system.
Android Auto comes pre-loaded with Android 14, and users say they are already running the latest version available on the Google Play Store. Some say they tried to sideload the most recent update – at the time of writing, it's Android Auto 10.6, which is now rolling out in stages through the Play Store; you can sideload the update with the dedicated APK installer.
Google already chimed in, and a member of the Android Auto team recently posted on the forums to ask for additional information on what happens. They claim developers need phone logs to diagnose the root cause of the issue, so if you own a Pixel 8 and are struggling with Android Auto, your contribution could help the search giant address this pressing issue.
Someone says they managed to fix Android Auto by removing the app and then installing it from the Google Play Store. Others claim this made no difference in their cars, so at the time of writing, no universal fix restores Android Auto for Google Pixel 8 owners.
It's too early to tell when the Mountain View-based search giant could ship a fix, but you'd better not hold your breath for the update. These investigations typically take up to several months to complete, so don't be surprised if the Android Auto problems become even more widespread shortly. The Pixel 8 is still a new device, so the more customers receive it, the bigger the chances for more people to hit the problem.
The Pixel 8 series was announced a few weeks ago, coming with Android 14 out of the box and promising a seamless experience on all fronts.
Unfortunately, Android Auto users learned the hard way that this isn't always true. The car experience fails to load due to a reason that nobody could determine. The connection between the phone and the head unit is detected, and the mobile device starts charging, but Android Auto never fires up.
Users claim that the same setup worked flawlessly with a Google Pixel 7, so the Pixel 8 is often blamed for the ruined Android Auto experience.
The Pixel 8 problems on Android Auto have become more widespread, and a discussion thread on Google's forums is already marked as "a trending issue." Users in the thread claim that nothing worked to get Android Auto up and running – not even resetting the mobile device and the infotainment system.
Android Auto comes pre-loaded with Android 14, and users say they are already running the latest version available on the Google Play Store. Some say they tried to sideload the most recent update – at the time of writing, it's Android Auto 10.6, which is now rolling out in stages through the Play Store; you can sideload the update with the dedicated APK installer.
Google already chimed in, and a member of the Android Auto team recently posted on the forums to ask for additional information on what happens. They claim developers need phone logs to diagnose the root cause of the issue, so if you own a Pixel 8 and are struggling with Android Auto, your contribution could help the search giant address this pressing issue.
Someone says they managed to fix Android Auto by removing the app and then installing it from the Google Play Store. Others claim this made no difference in their cars, so at the time of writing, no universal fix restores Android Auto for Google Pixel 8 owners.
It's too early to tell when the Mountain View-based search giant could ship a fix, but you'd better not hold your breath for the update. These investigations typically take up to several months to complete, so don't be surprised if the Android Auto problems become even more widespread shortly. The Pixel 8 is still a new device, so the more customers receive it, the bigger the chances for more people to hit the problem.
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