Photo: Google
If you’ve been part of the Android Auto world for more than a month or so, you probably know already that things here tend to break down without a clear reason.
So if everything is working properly for you right now, you really shouldn’t be surprised if Android Auto no longer launches one minute later, even if no change has been made on your side.
Xiaomi phone owners discovered nearly a year ago that Android Auto failed to launch in their cars. And once again, they weren’t able to find the cause of this apparent glitch, as none of the generic workarounds they used actually restored Android Auto.
They turned to Google, the search giant that should theoretically be able to figure out the problem and then deliver a fix. The company did reply and asked for more information on what’s happening, but no patch has ever shipped, despite the first report being published in December last year.
Meanwhile, however, users themselves have also been looking into the problem, trying to find a fix of their own.
And a few weeks ago, someone finally discovered a workaround that’s ridiculously simple and which also highlights a potential cause of the failed connection. Plugging the phone into a USB hub and not directly into the car’s USB port apparently deals with the whole thing, regardless of the cable that’s used for the connection.
At first glance, the error is caused by bad cable compatibility, and using a USB hub helps bypass the glitch and still launch Android Auto. Needless to say, users have also tried a plethora of other first- and third-party cables, but none of them worked.
Running Android Auto through a USB hub is a ridiculous approach but at least, Google should now know precisely where to look for the bug. The only problem is that the search giant has apparently given up on the investigation for this glitch, as the thread on its forum has already been closed, and replying is no longer possible.
Xiaomi phone owners discovered nearly a year ago that Android Auto failed to launch in their cars. And once again, they weren’t able to find the cause of this apparent glitch, as none of the generic workarounds they used actually restored Android Auto.
They turned to Google, the search giant that should theoretically be able to figure out the problem and then deliver a fix. The company did reply and asked for more information on what’s happening, but no patch has ever shipped, despite the first report being published in December last year.
Meanwhile, however, users themselves have also been looking into the problem, trying to find a fix of their own.
And a few weeks ago, someone finally discovered a workaround that’s ridiculously simple and which also highlights a potential cause of the failed connection. Plugging the phone into a USB hub and not directly into the car’s USB port apparently deals with the whole thing, regardless of the cable that’s used for the connection.
At first glance, the error is caused by bad cable compatibility, and using a USB hub helps bypass the glitch and still launch Android Auto. Needless to say, users have also tried a plethora of other first- and third-party cables, but none of them worked.
Running Android Auto through a USB hub is a ridiculous approach but at least, Google should now know precisely where to look for the bug. The only problem is that the search giant has apparently given up on the investigation for this glitch, as the thread on its forum has already been closed, and replying is no longer possible.
Google News