Photo: Florin Profir/autoevolution
The wireless version of Android Auto is generally considered the more refined alternative to the wired sibling, pretty much because it eliminates the need for cables.
If you've been part of the Android Auto community for more than a minute, you should know already that cords are a major annoyance for users.
Finding the right cable for Android Auto is quite a challenge, sometimes causing connection problems in the middle of the drive. In theory, sticking with the cable that comes in the box of the phone is the best way to go, but many users found out the hard way that everything can change overnight. All without any modification on their sides, that is.
As such, sticking with Android Auto wireless is theoretically the more reliable alternative.
But a bug that seems to become widespread these days proves this isn't always the case. The wireless connection between the phone and the head unit happens only on the first launch, with the next attempts failing with absolutely no error.
Users have been complaining of this awkward behavior for several weeks already, but the whole thing now appears to impact more users.
In all cases, the phone connects to the head unit and launches Android Auto wireless correctly after starting the engine. However, after the engine is shut down and the phone is reconnected to the same head unit, Android Auto fails to load for a reason that nobody can determine. More often than not, rebooting the mobile device brings everything back to normal, while others claim that simply turning Bluetooth off and then back on restores the Android Auto wireless connection.
The issue appears to primarily impact Google's Pixel lineup of phones regardless of the car model and the media receiver. On the other hand, similar bug reports have been posted by Samsung owners, and this might suggest the issue isn't a compatibility issue with a specific phone model.
Google has yet to acknowledge the problem, so for now, nobody knows if an investigation is already underway. However, given the bug is becoming more widespread as we speak, possibly as more users receive a recent update causing the connectivity issue, Google is very likely to start looking into reports sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, the search giant is busy shipping Coolwalk to more Android devices. The rollout should be complete by the end of the summer, so devices that haven't yet received the new interface should get it in the coming weeks and months. Coolwalk allows users to run multiple apps side by side on the same screen no matter the screen size, the aspect ratio, or the display resolution. It supports both landscape and portrait dashboard screens.
Finding the right cable for Android Auto is quite a challenge, sometimes causing connection problems in the middle of the drive. In theory, sticking with the cable that comes in the box of the phone is the best way to go, but many users found out the hard way that everything can change overnight. All without any modification on their sides, that is.
As such, sticking with Android Auto wireless is theoretically the more reliable alternative.
But a bug that seems to become widespread these days proves this isn't always the case. The wireless connection between the phone and the head unit happens only on the first launch, with the next attempts failing with absolutely no error.
Users have been complaining of this awkward behavior for several weeks already, but the whole thing now appears to impact more users.
In all cases, the phone connects to the head unit and launches Android Auto wireless correctly after starting the engine. However, after the engine is shut down and the phone is reconnected to the same head unit, Android Auto fails to load for a reason that nobody can determine. More often than not, rebooting the mobile device brings everything back to normal, while others claim that simply turning Bluetooth off and then back on restores the Android Auto wireless connection.
The issue appears to primarily impact Google's Pixel lineup of phones regardless of the car model and the media receiver. On the other hand, similar bug reports have been posted by Samsung owners, and this might suggest the issue isn't a compatibility issue with a specific phone model.
Google has yet to acknowledge the problem, so for now, nobody knows if an investigation is already underway. However, given the bug is becoming more widespread as we speak, possibly as more users receive a recent update causing the connectivity issue, Google is very likely to start looking into reports sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, the search giant is busy shipping Coolwalk to more Android devices. The rollout should be complete by the end of the summer, so devices that haven't yet received the new interface should get it in the coming weeks and months. Coolwalk allows users to run multiple apps side by side on the same screen no matter the screen size, the aspect ratio, or the display resolution. It supports both landscape and portrait dashboard screens.
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