Fix Android Auto Crashes and Connection issues

What is Android Auto? Android Auto is a smart infotainment solution for your car. It is an inexpensive way to convert your ordinary car into a smart one. Android Auto incorporates the best features of a world-class infotainment system installed in high-end modern cars into a simple app. It provides you with an interface to use the essential features of your Android device while driving.

With the help of this app, you can be assured about navigation, on-road entertainment, making and receiving phone calls, and even dealing with text messages. Android Auto can single-handedly do the work of your GPS system, stereo/music system, and also make sure that you avoid the risk of answering calls on your mobile phone. All that you need to do is connect your mobile to the car’s display using a USB cable and turn on Android Auto and you are good to go.

Fix Android Auto Crashes and Connection issues

What are the various features of Android Auto?

As mentioned earlier, Android Auto aims at replacing the infotainment system installed by your car manufacturer. In order to eliminate the variations between different car models and brands and establish a standard, Android Auto brings the best features of Android to make sure that you have everything that you need while driving. Since it is an extension of your Android device, you can manage your calls and messages from the dashboard itself and thus eliminating the need to use your phone while driving.

Let us now take a closer look at the various features of Android Auto:

1. Turn by Turn Navigation

Android Auto uses Google Maps to provide you with turn by turn navigation. Now, it is a globally accepted fact that no other navigation system is as accurate as Google maps. It is smart, efficient, and easy to understand. Android Auto provides a custom interface that is suitable for car drivers. It provides voice support for its turn by the turn navigation system. You can save frequently traveled destinations, like your home and office and this will eliminate the need for typing in the address every time. Google maps are also capable of analyzing traffic on various routes and calculates the travel time for each of them. It then suggests the shortest and most convenient route to your destination.

2. Entertainment

A long drive to work amid heavy traffic could be exhausting. Android Auto understands this and therefore, provides a wide range of app options to take care of the entertainment. Just like a normal Android smartphone, you can download and use various apps on Android Auto. However, certain limitations are there, keeping your safety in mind. At present, it supports some nifty apps that include popular apps like Spotify and Audible. It makes sure that entertainment does not interfere with your driving.

3. Communication

With the help of Android Auto, you can also attend to your calls and messages without using your phone. It comes with Google Assistant support that allows you to make hands free calls. Simply say Ok Google or Hey Google followed by call Sarah and Android Auto will make the call.

You will also receive notifications about texts and you have the option to read them from the dashboard display or have them read out by the Google Assistant. It also allows you to reply to these messages verbally and Google Assistant would type the text for you and send it to the concerned person. All these features completely eliminate the need to juggle between using your phone and driving, thus, make driving safer.

What are the Problems in Android Auto?

At the end of the day, Android Auto is just another app and thus, has bugs. Due to this reason, it is possible that the app might crash sometimes or experience connectivity issues. Since you are dependent on Android Auto to guide and assist you, it would be really inconvenient if the app malfunctions while driving.

In the past few months, a lot of Android users have reported thatAndroid Auto keeps crashing and does not work properly. There seems to be a problem with internet connectivity. Every time you enter a command Android Auto shows a message that says you do not have a strong enough internet connection to execute the command. You might experience this error even if you have a stable internet connection. There are multiple probable reasons that could cause this error. While Google is working on its end to find a bug fix, here are some things that you can try in order to resolve the problem.

Fix Android Auto Crashing & Connection issues

The problems with Android Auto are not limited to a particular type. Different users have experienced different problems. In some cases, the app was not able to carry out a few commands while for others the app kept crashing. It is also possible that the problem lies with some specific functions of Android Auto, like Google Maps not working properly or an audio file playing without sound. In order to find a proper solution to these problems, you need to deal with them one by one.

1. Problem with Compatibility

Now, if you are unable to open Android Auto at all or worst, not able to find it on the Play Store, then it is possible that the app is not available in your region or incompatible with your device. Despite Android being one of the most widely used operating systems for mobiles and tablets, Android Auto is not supported in a lot of countries. It is also possible that the Android device that you are using is outdated and runs on an older version of Android which is not compatible with Android Auto.

Apart from that, you need to make sure that your car is capable of supporting Android Auto. Unfortunately, not all cars are compatible with Android Auto. Since Android Auto connects to your car’s display via a USB cable, it is also important that the type and quality of the cable are up to the task. In order to make sure that your car is connected to Android Auto, follow the steps given below:

1. Open Android Auto on your device.

2. Now, tap on the hamburger icon on the top left-hand side of the screen.

3. Click on the Settings option.

4. Now, select the “Connected cars” option.

5. When your device is connected to your car, you will be able to see the name of your car under Accepted cars. If you can’t find your car, then it means that it is not compatible with Android Auto.

2. Android Auto Keeps Crashing

If you are able to successfully connect your car to your device but Android Auto keeps crashing, then there are multiple ways in which you can deal with the problem. Let us take a look at these solutions.

Method 1: Clear cache and data for the App

Just like any other app, Android Auto also saves some data in the form of cache files. If Android Auto keeps crashing, then it might be due to these residual cache files getting corrupted. In order to fix this problem, you can always try clearing the cache and data for the app. Follow these steps to clear the cache and data files for Android Auto.

1. Go to the Settings of your phone.

2. Tap on the Apps option.

3. Now, select Android Auto from the list of apps.

4. Now, click on the Storage option.

5. You will now see the options to clear data and clear cache. Tap on the respective buttons and the said files will be deleted.

6. Now, exit settings and try using Android Auto again and see if you’re able to fix the Android Auto crashing issue. 

Method 2: Update Android Auto

The next thing that you can do is to update your app. Irrespective of whatever kind of problem you are facing, updating it from the Play Store can solve it. A simple app update often solves the problem as the update might come with bug fixes to resolve the issue.

1. Go to the Play Store.

2. On the top left-hand side, you will find three horizontal lines. Click on them.

3. Now, click on the “My Apps and Games” option.

4. Search for Android Auto and check if there are any pending updates.

5. If yes, then click on the update button.

6. Once the app gets updated, try using it again and check if it works properly or not.

Also Read: Fix Google Play Music Keeps Crashing

Method 3: Limit Background Processes

Another reason behind constant app crashes could be the unavailability of memory which is consumed by background processes. You can try to limit the background processes by means of developer options. In order to enable developer options, you need to go to the About phone section and tap 6-7 times on the Build Number. Once you have done that, follow the steps given below to limit background processes.

1. Open Settings on your phone.

2. Now, tap on the System tab.

3. In here, click on the Developer options.

4. Now, scroll down to the Apps section and select the Background process limit option.

5. Click on the “At most 2 processes option”.

This might cause some apps to slow down. But if the phone starts lagging beyond the tolerable limit, then you might want to revert to the Standard limit when you are not using Android Auto.

3. Issues in Connectivity

Your mobile phone needs to be connected to your car’s display in order to run Android Auto. This connection can either be by means of a USB cable or Bluetooth if your car is equipped with a wireless connection. In order to check proper connectivity, you need to make sure that the cable is not damaged. Over the course of time, the charging cable or the USB cable is exposed to a lot of wear and tear, both physically and electrically. It is possible that the cable is damaged somehow and is not transferring enough power. The easiest way to check that is by using an alternate cable.

However, if your preferred mode of connection is Bluetooth, then you need to forget the device and then reconnect. Android Auto might be malfunctioning due to a corrupted Bluetooth device or a compromised device pairing. The best thing to do in this case is to pair the device again. Follow the steps given below to learn how:

1. Open Settings on your device.

2. Now, tap on the device connectivity option.

3. In here, click on the Bluetooth tab.

4. From the list of paired devices, find the Bluetooth profile for your car and tap on the settings icon next to its name.

5. Now, click on the Unpair button.

6. Once the device gets removed, put it back on pairing mode.

7. Now, open Bluetooth settings on your phone and re-pair with the device.

Also Read: Fix Android Wi-Fi Connection Problems

4. Problem with App Permissions

Another reason behind Android Auto crashing is that it does not have all the permissions to function properly. Since the app is responsible for navigation and also making and receiving calls or texts, it needs to be given certain permissions in order to work properly. Android Auto needs access to your Contacts, Phone, Location, SMS, Microphone, and also the permission to send notifications. Follow the steps given below to ensure that Android Auto has all the required permissions.

1. Open Settings on your phone.

2. Click on the Apps tab.

3. Now, search for Android Auto from the list of installed apps and tap on it.

4. In here, click on the Permissions option.

5. Now, make sure that you toggle on the switch for all the necessary permission access requests.

Once done, check if you’re able to fix the Android Auto crashing issue. 

5. Problem with the GPS

Android Auto’s primary function is to guide you while driving and provide you with turn by turn navigation. It is a major concern if the GPS system doesn’t work while driving. In order to prevent something like that from happening, there are a couple of things that you can do apart from updating Google Maps and Google Play Services.

Method 1: Set Accuracy to High

1. Open the Settings on your phone.

2. Click on the Location option.

3. In here, select the mode option and tap on the enable high accuracy option.

Method 2: Disable Mock Locations

1. Go to Settings on your phone.

2. Click on the System tab.

3. Now. tap on the Developer options.

4. Scroll down to the Debugging section and tap on the Select mock location app.

5. In here, select the No app option.

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With that, we come to the end of the list of problems and their solutions. If you are still not able to fix the problem of Android Auto crashing, then, unfortunately, you just need to wait for some while until Google comes us with a bug fix. Wait for the next update which would most certainly include a patch for this problem. Google has already acknowledged the complaints and we are positive that a new update will soon be released and the problem will be resolved.