Can you imagine opening Android Auto and that You may not be able to use some of the most important applications like Waze or WhatsApp? Well, that’s exactly what has happened to some users like our colleague Manuel Naranjo from Territorio Samsung.
A new Android Auto bug is both curious and frustrating: some applications disappear both in the Android Auto app drawer in the car and in the Customize apps menu in the settings on the phone. Luckily, there is a solution.
Apps disappear in Android Auto
Android Auto adapts compatible apps to display on your car’s screen, so it’s just as useful as your apps. What if you suddenly lose control of your car? Apps you use on Android Auto disappear for no apparent reason? Then you are suffering from the latest Android car system bug.
The symptoms are as follows: you connect your mobile to the car and you realize that Applications that were previously there are now missingsuch as WhatsApp or Waze. It’s as if you didn’t have them installed on your phone and, therefore, they didn’t appear in Android Auto. Or as if you had gone to Android Auto settings to hide these apps, although those who suffer from this error have found the unpleasant surprise that the apps don’t appear there either and, therefore, can’t be reactivated.
We have received reports that this bug has happened at least on some Samsung, Realme and Xiaomi mobilesIt doesn’t seem to be too widespread, but since it affects phones with Android layers as different as the previous ones, it seems clear that it is a system error and not a problem with the phone in question.
And how is it solved? Typical Android Auto troubleshooting like updating to a later version doesn’t seem to work, but something as simple as uninstalling the missing app and reinstalling it does. It’s not optimal, but in case of desperation it’s easier than other tasks.
Manuel, for his part, fixed it another way: enabling permission for the app to run in the background available on some layers. This shouldn’t affect whether or not the app appears in Android Auto, but if you’re experiencing this error and nothing else is helping, you can try it if your layer has this setting.