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What You Need to Know If YouTube Audio Isn’t Working on Android Auto

YouTube is blocked by default on Android Auto for obvious reasons, but on the other hand, you’re still allowed to listen to the audio soundtrack when driving.
The Android Auto home screen 6 photos
Photo: Alpine
Android Auto interfaceAndroid Auto interfaceAndroid Auto interfaceAndroid Auto interfaceAndroid Auto interface
This means you can still launch the YouTube app, play a song, and listen to the audio while you continue to run something else on the Android Auto screen. In other words, you do not see any video on display, but you can still listen to the audio, and this is good news for those who want to enjoy their podcasts during their commutes.

Needless to say, the phone needs to remain unlocked, as simply locking the mobile device without a YouTube subscription automatically pauses the audio too.

However, some users have discovered that the YouTube audio no longer works on Android Auto, no matter if the phone is unlocked or not.

Everything was working just fine until recently, they say, but for a reason, nobody can determine, YouTube simply no longer provides any audio when Android Auto is connected.

The problem happens on random Android devices, so it’s not just one brand that’s struggling with the whole thing. It’s also taking place on Android 12, the most recent version of Google’s mobile operating system that’s now rolling out to devices across the world.

It’s not exactly clear what caused the whole thing, but some say it showed up recently after an update either for Android Auto or for the YouTube app. So, in theory, downgrading the two apps to an earlier version should bring things back to normal, at least temporarily.

Google says it’s already looking into all these reports, suggesting it’s not a behavior it specifically introduced to prevent YouTube from being used on Android Auto. On the other hand, there’s no ETA as to when a fix could see the daylight, so for now, you can just try out the downgrade thing and see if it makes a difference.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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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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