Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google forums
The debut of GameSnacks made perfect sense for Android Auto users, as it allows them to kill time while waiting for someone in the parking lot.
Like everything else on Android Auto, the mini-games seem inconsistent, sometimes breaking down for no apparent reason.
This is what’s happening right now. Users who took to Google’s forums to report this strange behavior say Android Auto blocks launching the games. The app displays an error message reading “GameSnacks not available while driving,” and while this approach makes perfect sense, the warning is inaccurate.
This is because the vehicle is parked, Android Auto users claim.
Android Auto blocks games when the vehicle is in motion by default for obvious reasons. Drivers wouldn’t be tempted to look at the screen, as games on the display in the car are a huge no-no. Google configured Android Auto to determine when the vehicle is parked and then lift the gaming restriction.
Starting with a recent update, this no longer happens. Users explain that putting the vehicle in park and trying to launch GameSnacks fails with the same error message every time.
The glitch was first reported in February but is becoming more widespread these days. It’s not yet clear if a specific Android Auto update is to blame.
A photo of the error message shows that GameSnacks is broken on the new Coolwalk interface. As such, the Android Auto redesign could be the culprit this time, though this is just an assumption for now. The problems showed up at a time when the Coolwalk rollout was in full swing, so this could be a solid starting point for a potential Google investigation.
Coolwalk is also causing other problems for Android Auto users. In some cases, the lower part of the screen is disabled automatically, making it impossible to switch between apps. The taskbar at the bottom of the screen is blocked too, and interacting with the app on the screen is impossible. This behavior was reported after the release of Coolwalk, and downgrading Android Auto to a much older build fixes the glitch.
None of the affected users said whether downgrading Android Auto also fixes GameSnacks. On the other hand, everything seems to work correctly in my car. I’m running Android Auto on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with the Coolwalk design already activated. The freezing bug I described above is missing as well, so right now, the Coolwalk experience is rather smooth in my case.
Google is in the process of collecting more information about the GameSnacks bug on Android Auto. The company is reaching out to the affected users to ask for additional details, so right now, it’s too early to tell when it could come up with a patch.
This is what’s happening right now. Users who took to Google’s forums to report this strange behavior say Android Auto blocks launching the games. The app displays an error message reading “GameSnacks not available while driving,” and while this approach makes perfect sense, the warning is inaccurate.
This is because the vehicle is parked, Android Auto users claim.
Android Auto blocks games when the vehicle is in motion by default for obvious reasons. Drivers wouldn’t be tempted to look at the screen, as games on the display in the car are a huge no-no. Google configured Android Auto to determine when the vehicle is parked and then lift the gaming restriction.
Starting with a recent update, this no longer happens. Users explain that putting the vehicle in park and trying to launch GameSnacks fails with the same error message every time.
The glitch was first reported in February but is becoming more widespread these days. It’s not yet clear if a specific Android Auto update is to blame.
A photo of the error message shows that GameSnacks is broken on the new Coolwalk interface. As such, the Android Auto redesign could be the culprit this time, though this is just an assumption for now. The problems showed up at a time when the Coolwalk rollout was in full swing, so this could be a solid starting point for a potential Google investigation.
Coolwalk is also causing other problems for Android Auto users. In some cases, the lower part of the screen is disabled automatically, making it impossible to switch between apps. The taskbar at the bottom of the screen is blocked too, and interacting with the app on the screen is impossible. This behavior was reported after the release of Coolwalk, and downgrading Android Auto to a much older build fixes the glitch.
None of the affected users said whether downgrading Android Auto also fixes GameSnacks. On the other hand, everything seems to work correctly in my car. I’m running Android Auto on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with the Coolwalk design already activated. The freezing bug I described above is missing as well, so right now, the Coolwalk experience is rather smooth in my case.
Google is in the process of collecting more information about the GameSnacks bug on Android Auto. The company is reaching out to the affected users to ask for additional details, so right now, it’s too early to tell when it could come up with a patch.
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