Google’s commitment to Android Auto has been very visible over the past couple of years, with it constantly releasing updates with new features. From the Coolwalk interface to compatibility with apps like Waze or YouTube in the car, we owe a lot to these updates.
The problem is that driving that fast can be dangerous, as any driver knows, and lead to an accident; or in the case of Android Auto, various “bugs” and breakdowns that appeared over the months.
The last of these “bugs” was the most annoying, as it prevented the use of applications like WhatsApp on Android Auto. And now we have official confirmation from Google that this was indeed an issue caused by their updates, and that it has already been fixed.
Google fixes Android Auto
The issue occurred when the driver was using voice commands in their apps. For example, if we wanted to send a message via WhatsApp while we were driving and we asked Google Assistant to send it for us. The problem is that WhatsApp never seemed to receive the command, even though the assistant assured us he understood our order. In this situation, we were forced to use our cell phone or the car’s touch screen to send the message, which is illegal and dangerous.
Therefore, the first reaction of many of us was to blame Google Assistant and conclude that the latest changes to Google Assistant were the cause of these failures. However, it seems we owe the Google team an apology, because The application causing the problems is WhatsApp.
More specifically, drivers realized that The latest version of WhatsApp, 2.24.8.79, now works correctly with Android Auto; Although Meta hasn’t confirmed it, it appears the app didn’t accept the voice commands Assistant gave it. In addition, we should also have the latest version of Android Auto installed on our mobile, which at the time of writing these words is version 11.7.
Remember that this is not the only problem related to Assistant in Android Auto. Another recent bug caused Google Maps to always open if we gave Assistant a navigation-related command. For example, if Waze was open and asked for directions, Google Maps would open. This issue also appears to have been resolved for some users.
