Google has released fixes for a couple of location issues with Android Auto. A new update for the platform fixes an issue where Assistant was fetching results based on the user’s saved home address instead of their current location. If someone asked for, say “nearby gas stations,” Android Auto would show results as if the user was at home. This would be really frustrating or even problematic when you’re on the road, more so if you’re far away from home. You might be running out of gas and your car’s dash display won’t tell you if there’s a gas station near you.
The same bug also affected weather results. Irrespective of where the user is, the weather app would continue to show the weather conditions in their hometown. It would not update to their current location.
Many Android Auto users have been living these issues for the past several months, at least. There are threads dating back to March this year on the official Google forums as well Reddit reporting these issues. Google has now released fixes for them.
A Community Specialist from Google’s Android Auto team has confirmed that the fix for these location issues is now rolling out. “Thanks for all the feedback. The Assistant team has rolled out a fix for this issue. Please update your Google app to the latest version, which should solve the issue. Thanks!” the official statement reads.
Android Auto marred by another issue
Google has struggled to get it all right with its Android Auto platform recently. Every now and then, we hear reports of issues on the platform. Sometimes, Android Auto would stop playing music in the background, while the connection would drop sometimes when the phone is locked and unlocked.
There have been multiple instances of device-specific issues as well. OnePlus users reported slow loading of apps following the Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 update. Several Pixel users have also reported an issue where the connection automatically switches from File Transfer to Charge Only every time they connect their phone.
What’s even more frustrating for users is that it often takes months for Google to release fixes for Android Auto issues. Worse yet, the official patches sometimes don’t help. They fail to solve the problem.
Hopefully, the official fix for these issues with Assistant failing to pull results based on the user’s current location will work. If you’re experiencing this problem, you can check for an update for the Google app on the Play Store.