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Top Android Auto Coolwalk Feature Missing, Confusion Erupts

Back in the days when Android Auto was using its original and classic interface, the weather information was displayed to the user in a dedicated widget pinned to the home screen.
The weather widget on Coolwalk 6 photos
Photo: Google
Android Auto Coolwalk interfaceAndroid Auto Coolwalk interfaceAndroid Auto Coolwalk interfaceAndroid Auto Coolwalk interfaceAndroid Auto Coolwalk interface
It rapidly became a top Android Auto feature, so when the 2019 redesign was introduced, pretty much everybody was disappointed to see the widget go. Google eventually got the message and decided to bring the weather back by displaying the temperature and conditions in the status bar of Android Auto, though the experience with this feature left a lot to be desired.

The weather information sometimes disappeared all of a sudden without coming back for months, while others ended up receiving inaccurate data either due to the location not updating or the displayed temperature getting stuck.

Coolwalk was supposed to overhaul the experience with the weather forecast as well. The temperature and the conditions for the current location received a dedicated card on the dashboard, alongside the navigation app and the music app.

The rollout of the redesigned interface kicked off in early January, and since then, it has made good progress, with more and more users getting Coolwalk these days.

The weather widget is still nowhere to be seen, and right now, nobody knows precisely what’s happening.

At this point, the weather information only seems to show when running Android Auto Coolwalk on a screen in portrait mode – the new UI can adapt to any display size and aspect ratio and uses a similar layout on all screens. Disconnecting the mobile device and connecting it to a car with a landscape display somehow removes the weather widget, so at first glance, it looks like the feature isn’t yet ready for everybody.

Others claim that the widget weather is missing even in portrait mode, so maybe Google is using a server-controlled rollout for this particular feature as well.

Several users have tried to report this problem to Google, and apparently, the company wants more information to look into what’s happening. A Google Community Specialist has asked for phone logs to get additional data on the behavior of Coolwalk on the impacted devices, and this seems to suggest that it could all be a bug that the company needs to look into. It’s unclear if this is indeed a glitch or not, but support staff on the forums don’t typically get access to the full development plans. As such, community specialists might not be aware the weather widget only works on portrait screens for now.

The request for phone logs is unlikely to help the Android Auto team bring the weather widget to all Coolwalk users faster, but given the lack of information, it’s hard to tell precisely what’s happening and why this highly anticipated feature is missing.

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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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