This Android Auto update doesn't add obvious features, but could make your life a whole lot easier

Google has pushed an update to Android Auto that could solve some of the recently reported problems with the popular in-car software.

It all started earlier this summer, with an update to Android Auto 17.2. It seemed to introduce a little bit of instability. I found that myself, with occasional disconnections and unexplained behaviour – and it was widely reported amongst users.

The problems didn't seem to relate to any particular handset or car model, instead it was the software that was a fault. That was acknowledged by Mishaal Rahman from Google on Reddit, with information that a fix was in process.

Now the Android Auto team has updated the app to 17.4 which is said to fix those problems. Shared by a member of the Android Auto team on the Google Support pages, it advises updating the app to the latest version to fix the problem.

So while this latest version of Android Auto doesn't bring any new features, it should make it possible to use the features you already have.

A changing Android Auto

Android Auto has seen some fairly significant changes recently. That not only alters the visual design in some areas to fit in with Material 3 Expressive and more closely match the Pixel phone, but also the move to Gemin, as well as the introduction of Immersive Navigation.

Not all new Android Auto features land at the same time and here in the UK, I've seen Android Auto's Gemini function arrive, drop its logo back to the old microphone, and change its behaviour all in the space of a few months.

Currently when driving I have the old logo, but Gemini works, although it seems less comfortable getting into discussions than it did a few months back. That seems to be experience with Android Auto at the moment – it's a bit random.

I've seem similar with Waze running on Android Auto – sometimes I can see all the controls on the display, but on a recent long drive I found the speedometer was placed behind the incident button. This variability is one of the things that makes Android Auto frustrating.

At least with the latest update, Android Auto should be more reliable and actually work.

We're still waiting for some elements to appear in Android Auto, such as the support for video playback from apps, the evolution into Gemini Intelligence, and widgets. Unfortunately, the roll-out of these changes isn't on a fixed timeline, with some currently limited to the US.