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Weird Android Auto Behavior Makes Drivers Use Phones While Driving

Android Auto is now experiencing a weird behavior when drivers try to use voice commands: it prompts them to tap a notification on the phone to enable the feature.
The problem was first reported earlier this year 1 photo
Photo: Google
More specifically, just after drivers say “OK, Google” to enable the Assistant, Android Auto replies with a message that prompts them to “tap the notification” to use voice commands.

And despite the message itself emphasizes drivers should tap the notification “when it’s safe,” which obviously means when the car is parked, some users are tempted to actually do the whole thing while driving.

Same issue, every time I hit the voice command on steering wheel that notification pops forcing me to use my phone while driving.....not safe!!!” one user says on the forums.

At this point, this appears to be an issue limited to Samsung phones, and the whole thing happens regardless of the device that’s being used to power Android Auto. It’s also happening on the Galaxy 10 with Ford, Chevrolet, Jeep, Honda, and others.

In many cases, users complain that the notification that Android Auto is pointing them to doesn’t even show up on their mobile devices and therefore can’t use voice commands. Others say the whole thing happens over and over again, even though the notification was supposed to show up just once.

Someone on the Google forums says they made the notification show up with a little trick on Android.

I fixed my issue by going to Settings - Apps - Google. In the Apps Settings my Notifications was off. This must have been toggled off with the latest Samsung update because it was on prior. When I changed it to Allowed I made sure Permissions Required was toggled on,” one user says.

Of course, as it typically happens on Android Auto, this doesn’t make any difference for some, so it remains to be seen if and when Google releases a fix for this new problem in its app.
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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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