Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Many users are still waiting for the Coolwalk redesign to be enabled in their cars, but some of those who already received the update would rather go back to the old version.
This is because a bug impacting Coolwalk causes the lower part of the interface to stop responding at random points during the drive.
In other words, while Coolwalk has already been enabled in their cars, the new Android Auto interface is rather useless.
The issue was spotted shortly after the redesign was announced. Google shipped Coolwalk to the first users in January as part of a server-controlled rollout. The company isn’t enabling the update for all users at once, but instead it pushes it gradually. This strategy gives it more time to determine the overall reliability of Coolwalk.
Some of the users who received Coolwalk claim that interacting with Android Auto is no longer possible. The lower part of the screen freezes for no clear reason, so tapping the icons in the taskbar isn’t possible. Toggling between apps is blocked, and interacting with the interface in focus is disabled.
Users claim only the interface freezes, as the audio keeps running in the background. As such, if the bug occurs when Spotify is playing music, the app itself does not stop responding.
The workaround isn’t at all convenient. Users who encountered the problem claim that none of the generic solutions they’ve tried produced an improvement, as the issue appears to reside in the Android Auto makeover.
As such, bringing Android Auto back to a working state comes down to getting rid of Coolwalk completely. Disabling this new interface would essentially force Android Auto to use the old design. The freezing bug appears to be exclusive to Coolwalk.
To disable Coolwalk and return to the old-school design, it’s enough to remove the latest Android Auto updates. To do this, go to settings on your Android phone and look for the “Apps” section. Locate Android Auto and choose the option that reads “Uninstall updates” in the top right menu.
Android Auto should return to an older version that does not include Coolwalk. When the mobile device is connected to the head unit, users need to complete the initial setup once again, as all settings are removed.
If the Android device is configured to automatically update apps, the latest version of Android Auto is installed when the Google Play Store service checks for new releases. As a result, you must block automatic updates for Android Auto if you want to continue using the app with the old design until a Coolwalk fix is released.
For the time being, Google says an investigation is still underway, but no ETA for a patch is available right now.
In other words, while Coolwalk has already been enabled in their cars, the new Android Auto interface is rather useless.
The issue was spotted shortly after the redesign was announced. Google shipped Coolwalk to the first users in January as part of a server-controlled rollout. The company isn’t enabling the update for all users at once, but instead it pushes it gradually. This strategy gives it more time to determine the overall reliability of Coolwalk.
Some of the users who received Coolwalk claim that interacting with Android Auto is no longer possible. The lower part of the screen freezes for no clear reason, so tapping the icons in the taskbar isn’t possible. Toggling between apps is blocked, and interacting with the interface in focus is disabled.
Users claim only the interface freezes, as the audio keeps running in the background. As such, if the bug occurs when Spotify is playing music, the app itself does not stop responding.
The workaround isn’t at all convenient. Users who encountered the problem claim that none of the generic solutions they’ve tried produced an improvement, as the issue appears to reside in the Android Auto makeover.
As such, bringing Android Auto back to a working state comes down to getting rid of Coolwalk completely. Disabling this new interface would essentially force Android Auto to use the old design. The freezing bug appears to be exclusive to Coolwalk.
To disable Coolwalk and return to the old-school design, it’s enough to remove the latest Android Auto updates. To do this, go to settings on your Android phone and look for the “Apps” section. Locate Android Auto and choose the option that reads “Uninstall updates” in the top right menu.
Android Auto should return to an older version that does not include Coolwalk. When the mobile device is connected to the head unit, users need to complete the initial setup once again, as all settings are removed.
If the Android device is configured to automatically update apps, the latest version of Android Auto is installed when the Google Play Store service checks for new releases. As a result, you must block automatic updates for Android Auto if you want to continue using the app with the old design until a Coolwalk fix is released.
For the time being, Google says an investigation is still underway, but no ETA for a patch is available right now.
Google News