While the stability problems experienced in the Android Auto platform in recent months have not yet been completely resolved, similar complaints have come to the fore again after a new update. According to user reports, the latest stable version of the app causes the connection between the car and the phone to disconnect unexpectedly, and in some cases, the app closes completely. The fact that the problems are seen on a large number of Android phones from different manufacturers indicates that they are not specific to a particular brand or model. Google started to receive user notifications regarding the issue.
Many fixes have been released for various connection and usability problems in Android Auto since March. Despite this, the new version distributed in recent weeks caused similar problems to re-emerge for some users. In the comments shared in various user communities, especially Reddit, 17.2.662404 It is stated that users who switch to the new version experience disconnections.
Latest version of Android Auto shows similar symptoms on different devices
According to the version records on APKMirror, the stable version of Android Auto numbered 17.2.662404 was released to users on July 3. Shares made after the update reveal that the problem does not only affect a specific phone brand. It seems that similar complaints are expressed on devices from different manufacturers as well as Pixel models.
According to the information provided by users, one of the most common symptoms is the random disconnection of the vehicle connection. The duration of disconnections can vary between a few seconds and a few minutes. Additionally, some users report that Android Auto crashes completely as soon as any audio content is played on the phone. This may cause interruption of basic functions such as navigation, listening to music and hands-free calling.
The source of the problem is not yet clear. Although users have common experiences, there is no concrete evidence that the bug is tied to a specific Android version. Therefore, it has not yet been confirmed whether the problem is caused by the latest update of Android Auto or by another component on the system side.
One of the prominent suggestions in the complaints is that users who have not yet installed the update should wait a while to install the new version. Some users who installed the update state that they were able to reduce connection problems by reverting to the previous Android Auto version. However, it is also among the shared comments that reverting to the old version does not provide a definitive solution for everyone. Even some users who reverted to version 17.0 are reportedly still experiencing similar errors.
On the other hand, some evaluations raise the possibility that the problem may be related to the Google Play Services updates released in late June. However, there is no statement confirmed by Google on this subject. The interesting point is that one of the Play Services updates released last month aimed to fix some problems experienced in Android Auto.
In addition, similar error records began to appear on Google Issue Tracker. Google has taken some of these notifications under review. However, most of the reports listed here come from devices using the Android 17 beta version. Since the complaints shared on Reddit and other platforms come from phones from different manufacturers using stable Android versions, it is not yet known whether the two groups of errors are directly caused by the same reason.
It was previously revealed that Google was working on a new user interface similar to CarPlay for Android Auto. Despite this, ongoing stability problems in the current version directly affect the daily usage experience. The company is expected to release an additional fix update after evaluating new user reports. Until then, the safest option for users experiencing frequent disconnections may be to follow the feedback before upgrading to the new version or, if possible, consider using one of the previous versions that worked fine.