Android Auto forces smartphone restart: users complain about problems
With the Android Auto app, Android phones can be connected to the vehicle's on-board computer, but recently rather badly than well. Now Google is speaking out.
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Your smartphone was just connected to the car while you were driving and suddenly it restarts itself unexpectedly – This has recently annoyed various users of the Android Auto app, which can pair Android phones with the on-board computers of cars. Google is now also dealing with the problem.
The error is already making the rounds on Reddit, where users are reporting that the problems have existed for several weeks. Initially, the Android Auto app still worked reliably, reports someone who claims to own a new Renault car that is only a few months old. Recently, however, there have been constant unintentional restarts while driving. This happens when he wants to use voice control, music playback or voice messages on his Android device via the Android Auto app, for example. The device then simply restarts unexpectedly.
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Google responds
Other users with unspecified makes report the same problem. It exists both with a wireless connection to the car and with a cable connection via USB.
Google responded to an inquiry from the news portal TheVerge on the subject. The tech company is aware of the problem and is currently working on a solution, it said. However, Google does not specify a date when this can be expected or which car models or Android Auto versions are affected.
Another Reddit user reports having solved the problem with a rollback. Since he switched back to Android Auto 13.3.644684, everything has been working normally again. However, such old versions of Android Auto are generally not available in the Play Store. They have to be downloaded as APK files from unofficial sources on the Internet and installed manually, which is certainly associated with security risks.
It is therefore advisable not to get carried away with experimenting with unofficial APKs despite all the inconveniences. The experience report could indicate that the problems mainly occur from Android Auto versions 13.4 and 13.5, which were rolled out via update in January and February. This would be the same period in which the problems became known.
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Bluetooth connection also fails in some cases
The aforementioned versions 13.4 and 13.5 are also causing problems in other contexts. As the portal 9to5Google reports, it is sometimes not possible to establish a Bluetooth connection between the cell phone and the vehicle with Android Auto. Various users are also complaining about this in the Google support forum. The problem does not occur across the board, but just often enough that it could be interpreted as a sign of a technical problem.
In this case, there is unfortunately no confirmation or statement from Google. The hope remains that the problem will disappear with a new Android Auto version. Versions 13.6 and 13.7, as well as version 13.8, are currently available as a beta. If you have problems with the Bluetooth connection, you can at least check the Play Store to see if you have the latest version and hope for an improvement after an update.
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