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Strange Android Auto Problem Now Hitting Microsoft’s First Android Device

Microsoft is officially an Android device manufacturer now after the company launched the Surface Duo dual-screen device in September this year.
Microsoft Surface Duo 6 photos
Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft Surface Duo in the carMicrosoft Surface Duo in the carMicrosoft Surface Duo in the carMicrosoft Surface Duo in the carMicrosoft Surface Duo in the car
And while many couldn’t imagine Microsoft releasing a phone running Google’s operating system given the company previously developed its very own mobile platform, the Redmond-based software firm is fully committed to Android and it was the experience to be just flawless wherever you use the Surface Duo.

This includes the car, as Surface Duo, like any other Android device, can also run Android Auto when connected to the head unit using a USB cable.

But as some users discovered lately, Google Assistant is no longer playing nice with Surface Duo, as only certain commands are recognized.

Several users on reddit have confirmed a similar behavior in their cars, explaining that Google Assistant is no longer able to respond to texts. In fact, the assistant can’t do anything than control the music playback, as these are the only commands that still work when the Surface Duo is connected to the car.

Weird problem started happening this week. When connected to Android Auto, Google Assistant doesn't recognize any commands except music requests. If I say ‘send a text’, it responds, ‘it sounds like you want to send a message. It's that correct?’ I say yes, and it says it does not understand me. Disconnect from Android Auto and it works great,” one user explains.

At this point, it’s still not clear what’s happening, but on the other hand, the Surface Duo has recently received its first major firmware update since launch. Of course, this shouldn’t impact the experience with Google Assistant, especially given that everything else seems to be running correctly on Android Auto.

For the time being, no workaround is known to exist, so Surface Duo owners coming across this assistant bug are all alone in their attempt to deal with the whole thing. It’s not clear if downgrading to a previous version of Android Auto and Google Assistant fixes the experience.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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