Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
You’d typically expect a Google app to feel at home on a Google platform, but this is not the case with Google Maps on Android Auto.
The navigation app has been misbehaving in the worst ways lately, and a new bug is now making Google Maps significantly more frustrating on Android devices.
The application fails to correctly shut down when users disconnect their smartphones from the car. By default, Google Maps should close when Android Auto shuts down, but the application continues to run on the Android device due to a new bug introduced in a recent update.
It's unclear if a new Android Auto version is responsible for the problem or if the culprit is a Google Maps update. Still, users claim that clearing the cache and removing the data of both apps sometimes bring things back to normal temporarily.
The glitch occurs even on the latest Android Auto beta build, as long as the device received the latest Google Maps version. The most recent Android Auto release is beta build 10.
The easiest way to deal with the error is to press exit in the Google Maps notification available on the mobile device after Android Auto closes. The issue happens on various Android phones, including Google's Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S series.
While users can fix this new problem quite easily (by simply pressing the exit button in the notification center), it's the last in a series of errors pushing more users to alternative navigation solutions, such as Waze.
Not long ago, Google Maps started producing a noticeable lag on Android Auto, eventually making the application impossible to use. The lag expanded to affect other applications, including Spotify.
The Coolwalk experience that started rolling out in January also suffered from a freezing bug, and many users blamed Google Maps for the whole thing. Whenever Android Auto started with Google Maps on the screen, the lower part of the interface suddenly froze, blocking any type of input. Google is still investigating the issue, with no fix released.
Switching to Waze does not guarantee a flawless experience. Also owned by Google, Waze comes with its share of bugs on Android Auto, including occasional GPS problems. Waze cannot track your location without a seamless GPS connection, eventually failing to provide turn-by-turn navigation.
Google has yet to acknowledge the new Google Maps problems on Android Auto, but considering the error is likely widespread, I expect the company to start looking into this odd behavior sooner rather than later. In the meantime, you can try downgrading to earlier Android Auto and Google Maps versions or switching to Waze temporarily until a fix goes live. No information is available as to when a complete fix could ship.
The application fails to correctly shut down when users disconnect their smartphones from the car. By default, Google Maps should close when Android Auto shuts down, but the application continues to run on the Android device due to a new bug introduced in a recent update.
It's unclear if a new Android Auto version is responsible for the problem or if the culprit is a Google Maps update. Still, users claim that clearing the cache and removing the data of both apps sometimes bring things back to normal temporarily.
The glitch occurs even on the latest Android Auto beta build, as long as the device received the latest Google Maps version. The most recent Android Auto release is beta build 10.
The easiest way to deal with the error is to press exit in the Google Maps notification available on the mobile device after Android Auto closes. The issue happens on various Android phones, including Google's Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S series.
While users can fix this new problem quite easily (by simply pressing the exit button in the notification center), it's the last in a series of errors pushing more users to alternative navigation solutions, such as Waze.
Not long ago, Google Maps started producing a noticeable lag on Android Auto, eventually making the application impossible to use. The lag expanded to affect other applications, including Spotify.
The Coolwalk experience that started rolling out in January also suffered from a freezing bug, and many users blamed Google Maps for the whole thing. Whenever Android Auto started with Google Maps on the screen, the lower part of the interface suddenly froze, blocking any type of input. Google is still investigating the issue, with no fix released.
Switching to Waze does not guarantee a flawless experience. Also owned by Google, Waze comes with its share of bugs on Android Auto, including occasional GPS problems. Waze cannot track your location without a seamless GPS connection, eventually failing to provide turn-by-turn navigation.
Google has yet to acknowledge the new Google Maps problems on Android Auto, but considering the error is likely widespread, I expect the company to start looking into this odd behavior sooner rather than later. In the meantime, you can try downgrading to earlier Android Auto and Google Maps versions or switching to Waze temporarily until a fix goes live. No information is available as to when a complete fix could ship.
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