Unfortunately, the lack of transparency on the Google side doesn’t help either, and whenever something unusual happens, users are all alone in their struggle to figure out if this is a planned change or if they have to deal with a new bug. More often than not, Android Auto updates are the ones to blame, as the smallest change in the code could eventually unleash a long chain of reactions. And these reactions include broken features as well. Some users, for instance, are now trying to figure out why Android Auto is no longer working after installing a late-November update on their devices.
A discussion thread on Google’s forums includes more information about the bug, with some saying that after updating the operating system on their devices, Android Auto stopped responding. In those rare instances when the app does launch, it eventually crashes, either on startup or shortly after that.
Other users end up struggling with a “Starting Android Auto” notification on the screen, but the app never launches. In all cases, however, the issues seem to be triggered by a recent Android update, and the typical workarounds, including clearing the cache and the data, don’t produce any improvements. Both the wired and the wireless versions of Android Auto are impacted by the glitch.
At this point, all signs seem to suggest that the issue was caused by the Android update that was installed on the mobile device. At first glance, only Samsung phones are impacted, but I’m seeing people claiming that users in Hong Kong are most often affected by the glitch. In other words, there could be an issue in the Samsung update aimed at users living in this region, but this is just an assumption, and confirmation does not exist.
Given the bug showed up only a few days ago, it’s still too early to tell how widespread it is, especially as some users haven’t installed the update on their devices. But on the other hand, a closer look at what happens is definitely needed, especially if the whole thing is triggered by a system update. Google has so far remained tight-lipped on this potential glitch, so it remains to be seen when and how the issue is fixed. For now, however, if you live in Hong Kong and you receive a new system update on your Android mobile phone, delaying the installation might be a good idea if you run Android Auto on a regular basis.
