Samsung's Android Auto bug still hasn't been officially fixed but some users seem happy

July update has fixed the Android Auto bug for select users

Android Auto
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

More Android Auto news has just landed — and it’s more confusing info for Samsung Galaxy S21 owners. A rolling fix promised in Samsung's July update (but delayed until September) to remedy a widespread bug affecting Android Auto and the Galaxy S21 may now still address the issue, as was initially planned in the July update. That's according to various users who've reported having some success in resolving their Galaxy/Android Auto misery.

While recent coverage from the world of Android Auto has mainly centered on joyous things like favorite user features being reintroduced to the service, it's not all been plain sailing for the in-vehicle app.

The bug affecting the Samsung Galaxy S21 when using Android Auto has been wreaking havoc in vehicles, causing one of Samsung's best Android phones to become super persnickety about the USB cable being used in concert with it. Coupled with vast reports of laggy Android Auto performance, as well as a glitch that causes it to crash every time you unlock the phone while it’s plugged in, things have started to become a bit of a headache for some users of the popular app.

First reported by Auto Evolution, Samsung was allegedly supposed to solve the issue in July's security update, but users who installed the July patch were still reportedly running into performance problems, with Samsung then issuing a statement saying it was pushing the fix to its September update instead. 

Sporadic success

But, lo and behold, some Android Auto users have now variously reported that the July update on the Samsung Galaxy S21 does actually address the bug. Auto Evolution, said: "Theoretically, these reports wouldn’t be possible without an official Samsung fix, which Google claims should only go live in September."

The whole saga is pretty darn confusing and not particularly useful if you're one of the unlucky Samsung Galaxy S21 owners who can't currently use their device in tandem with their vehicle. For now, it's probably best to wait for Samsung to push out the official September update, though there's probably no harm in seeing if the July update does work for you if you're still experiencing issues with your Galaxy S21 handset.

Otherwise, you can feast your eyes on the recent improvements to Android Auto's UI, including a new Android Auto dashboard update and improved messaging controls when using the platform inside of your car. 

Luke Wilson

Luke is a former news writer at T3 who covered all things tech at T3. Disc golf enthusiast, keen jogger, and fond of all things outdoors (when not indoors messing around with gadgets), Luke wrote about a wide-array of subjects for T3.com, including Android Auto, WhatsApp, Sky, Virgin Media, Amazon Kindle, Windows 11, Chromebooks, iPhones and much more, too.