Photo: Google
In theory, the interaction with Google Assistant should be as natural as possible, something that makes perfect sense especially when driving, as the whole thing can substantially reduce the distraction.
But as some Android Auto users discovered the hard way, it’s not necessarily as simple as it sounds, as in their case, Google Assistant only understands what they’re saying after pressing the microphone button on the steering wheel.
In other words, only the first command is properly recognized, after which Google Assistant can’t figure out what the user is saying.
So, for example, if you press the mic button on the steering wheel and tell Google Assistant to send a message, it then asks you to choose a contact to send the message to. But when dictating the contact's name, Google Assistant fails to recognize what you’re saying, with some users explaining that it all feels like the microphone itself is completely muted.
It isn’t a new problem for Android Auto users, as the first reports in this regard landed more than a year ago on Google’s forums. And since then, users have tried pretty much everything, including full resets of their Android devices and head units, all to no avail.
While the error eventually went away all by itself for some, possibly after updates released by Google for the Google app (which powers the Google Assistant experience on both phones and Android Auto), it’s still there for many others, with no full fix currently on the radar.
Earlier this year, Google requested impacted users to send phone logs to help figure out what exactly is breaking down Google Assistant on Android Auto. Still, no further details have been provided since then.
So right now, nobody knows exactly how to fix the whole thing, which means that for some, using Google Assistant on Android Auto has remained one big struggle they can’t get rid of.
In other words, only the first command is properly recognized, after which Google Assistant can’t figure out what the user is saying.
So, for example, if you press the mic button on the steering wheel and tell Google Assistant to send a message, it then asks you to choose a contact to send the message to. But when dictating the contact's name, Google Assistant fails to recognize what you’re saying, with some users explaining that it all feels like the microphone itself is completely muted.
It isn’t a new problem for Android Auto users, as the first reports in this regard landed more than a year ago on Google’s forums. And since then, users have tried pretty much everything, including full resets of their Android devices and head units, all to no avail.
While the error eventually went away all by itself for some, possibly after updates released by Google for the Google app (which powers the Google Assistant experience on both phones and Android Auto), it’s still there for many others, with no full fix currently on the radar.
Earlier this year, Google requested impacted users to send phone logs to help figure out what exactly is breaking down Google Assistant on Android Auto. Still, no further details have been provided since then.
So right now, nobody knows exactly how to fix the whole thing, which means that for some, using Google Assistant on Android Auto has remained one big struggle they can’t get rid of.
Google News