Android Auto Keeps Disconnecting: How to Troubleshoot and fix

Android Auto Disconnecting Constantly

Android auto is a convenient way to experience the distraction-free driving of your car. This is one of the less-discussed yet highly popular and must-have tech in today’s era. An Android Auto App allows you to dock your Android smartphone to your car’s infotainment system and use a customized interface using the phone’s cellular data.

Using Android auto you can control the incoming calls, check the climate, navigate the route map, reply to the messages without even reaching out to your phone etc.

Here is one thing you must remember is that Android auto uses data to fetch information from the internet like the weather reports, online music streaming apps(Spotify), Google map navigation, etc. So make sure you are aware of the data uses that may cost you.

Most Android auto users would be familiar with the common problem when Android Auto Keeps Disconnecting and you need to re-connect it back again. A frequent loss of connection between android auto and car’s infotainment system is quite annoying and keeps ruining the distraction-free driving experience.

This article explores all the possible reasons that cause Android auto to keep disconnecting and how to troubleshoot the error to establish a permanent connection between your infotainment system and the android auto app on your android phone.

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Why does Android auto Keep disconnecting?

Connectivity issues can occur due to several factors (e.g. car, phone, USB cable, software, etc) that can affect the performance of Android Auto.

Here are some major reasons that may cause the android auto to disconnect after a few minutes of working.

1. Poor Connection caused by damages USB

It is quite possible that the USB cable you are using makes a bad contact and disconnects Android Auto. Even if it appears to be functional, it can still show malfunctions. Do it test with another cable to make sure that the disconnection does not come from there.

Try multiple cables if you have them available in order to use the most stable connection.

2. Missing Application Overlay Permission

Have you enabled the “overlay permission” or “draw very other apps” for Android auto on your android phone? In order to keep the android auto connected to the car infotainment system, it is essential that you enable the “draw over other apps”.

3. Error with vehicle docking system

A faulty or outdated OS on your car docking system or infotainment system may also cause the android auto to keep disconnecting. Make sure you are using the latest version of OS. Also, make sure to take the vehicle for a physical examination.

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Android auto Keep disconnecting -Solutions

1. Troubleshoot crashing of Android Auto

A crashing Android auto or frequent disconnecting may be caused by android auto software installed on the vehicle itself.

If Android Auto does not appear on your display at this stage, you should check for head unit issues in your vehicle. Ascertain that you’re starting the Android Auto app from the main menu—the location varies for each vehicle.

Often, the app will not load instantly when your phone is plugged in, leading you to believe something is amiss.

2. Make sure your phone is compatible with Android Auto

Android auto software is compatible with the latest version of Android OS only. Make sure your smartphone is running on latest android OS. The minimum required Android OS version is Kitkat (4.x) to use android auto without any error.

3. Replace the USB Cable

Are you using USB cable to connect your phone to the vehicle dashboard? The error might be caused by a faulty USB cable and this may cause the error with the connection. Make sure to use the original branded USB to connect the devices together.

Also, try some alternative methods to make the connection like wifi or Bluetooth.

4. Enable “Draw over other app” permission for Android auto

  1. Open settings on Android phone.
  2. Go to apps
  3. Open Andriod auto
  4. Tap on permission
  5. Toggle “draw over other apps” on.
  6. Restart the phone.

Re-connect the phone to car dashboard to see if the problem is resolved.

5. Make sure the phone is on data transfer mode

Make sure the phone is on, unlocked and in data transfer mode. On many Android devices, that will mean opening notifications after connecting through USB and choosing “MTP” or “Media Transfer” modes.

The penultimate step recommends confirming your phone has the latest version of the Google Play Store and the Android Auto app.

6. Use Android auto alternative

Have you tried connecting the car dashboard system to some other phone? Also, make sure to install some alternative to Android auto on your android smartphone and re-connect it. Samsung mirror link is one of the best alternatives to Android auto for Samsung android phones.

7. Clear Cache portion and data on phone

Google recommends clearing the cache data of the android auto app to resolve the frequent disconnecting android auto error. This makes the app remove old cache data and create new.

  1. Open settings on Android phone.
  2. Go to apps
  3. Open Andriod auto
  4. Tap on storage
  5. Tap on clear cache data
  6. Restart the phone.

8. Update the Android OS

To resolve the error with android auto and prevent it from disconnecting you may require to update your smartphone OS to the latest version. Also, make your vehicle is using latest version of OS on the infotainment system.

Final Words

Google’s support forum for Android Auto is laden with boilerplate replies directing people to an FAQ page. You can use the method explained above to fix the error with android auto and your vehicle dashboard infotainment system,. Also, make sure to disable power saver mode and allow android auto to run in the background.