Android Auto continues to enhance infotainment and sat-nav for drivers across the world – but it's not always plain sailing for the in-car app, often running into user problems. Now, several reports have just emerged, which point to a novel issue affecting the “Hey, Google” voice command.
Swathes of users are reporting that voice commands have stopped working entirely in their cars, preventing them from interacting with Google Assistant unless they press the microphone button on the steering wheel. It's less than ideal and an issue that's impacting an essential part of how Android Auto operates in vehicles.
"'OK Google' doesn't work after the new update," says one bemused user whose Pixel 5XL when connected to Android Auto in their truck, is unable to use its voice commands to trigger the assistant. First spotted by the folks over at Auto Evolution, the issue seems to be causing widespread frustration over on Google's support forum, where several users have encountered a similar lapse in functionality.
The unknown bug has certainly miffed off some of Android Auto's fans, with another adding that their OnePlus 8 Pro initially connects before not responding. Google Assistant, it seems, works fine by itself when not connected to Android Auto. The cause has been loosely attributed to a recent update sending things haywire, but there's no certainty on which update is the culprit.
Google is looking into it
While the problem lies in response to voice commands, there doesn't appear to be any obvious pattern between the various users' experiences of the bug. Some report brief success with the "Hey/OK Google" voice command, while others seem to be wholly unable to do anything with them.
For now, there doesn't appear to be a fix. However, rest assured that Google is aware of the problem and is actively looking into it. As is always the case with apps and repetitive use, it may be worth a shot clearing the cache, uninstalling, and reinstalling any updates on both the Android Auto and Google App. That way, if the voice commands do happen to miraculously work again, then you can at least narrow the bug down to an update.
