Google has confirmed that it will roll out a fix for random crashes that have been annoying many car owners whose vehicles are equipped with Android Auto. An Android Auto team representative announced through a discussion thread tackling the platform’s various problems with the Pixel devices that the search giant is planning to roll out the fix as part of the next security update, referring to the February security patch. The issue at hand involves random Android Auto crashes upon launch on a car’s head unit, with other problems such as Bluetooth and USB connectivity being presently worked on by the Android Auto team, though it’s still unclear when exactly they’re meant to be addressed.
The availability of individual fixes will depend upon several factors including the device, country, and carrier, the company official noted. The upcoming fix is intended to address Android Auto’s tendency to crash at launch or not boot in the first place. Some vehicle owners were previously presented with an error notification that states “Android Auto cannot connect right now.” The notification further adds that “When it is safe to do so, please check your Android phone.” It’s worth noting that the issue seems to be primarily affecting car owners who use the first and second-generation Google Pixel phones to run the Google Assistant on their car’s head unit, with this particular feature going live just several weeks back. The list of affected vehicles includes the 2017 Ford Focus equipped with Ford SYNC 3, 2015 Kia Optima, 2016 Honda Civic, and Chevrolet Camaro 2SS. Some users have reported that they have been randomly kicked out of Android Auto with no apparent reason at all but didn’t have problems with launching the service.
While Google is set to fix various Android Auto issues in the near future, the Mountain View, California-based tech giant has yet to shed any light on the reason behind such woes. In addition to Bluetooth and USB-related problems, the Google Play Music app was also previously reported to have issues playing music through Android Auto. The Alphabet-owned company has yet to directly address those reports but will presumably do so shortly. The February security patch should start being distributed to Google’s Pixel devices early next month, in accordance with the company’s monthly release schedule.