Android Auto almost never connects now

[FirstPony]

I searched the forum but didn't find anything like this in the past year or so. So I thought I'd see if anyone else is experiencing this.

I use Android Auto. The car is set for two drivers - my wife has an iPhone and I have a droid. Up until maybe a month or two ago, Android Auto was slightly flaky. Particularly if I got in the car after my wife last drove it, it wouldn't connect to AA easily. I would have to go in and manually choose AA, select the phone, and then select AA to get it to connect. Once in a while I'd have to reset Sync (down and right controls on steering wheel method).

In the last month or two, instead of this being a problem on like 20% of car starts, it has suddenly jumped to like 90%. Even after Sync resets. Bluetooth connects quickly and just fine nearly every time (just the very rare wireless connection failure). But when I select Android Auto, it just spins and tries for a while, then gives up. And that's it. I try again, over and over, same thing.

Because it is a recent thing, I am wondering if it is related to a software update. Anyone else have this issue suddenly? Any ideas for solutions?

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[VindictivePantz]

I used it extensively, and it can be finicky. Sometimes it works wirelessly, sometimes it does not, and I have to connect it via a USB-C cable.

The car does seemed to get confused if my wife's phone is nearby or she recently drove it - even though she does not use Android Auto. The car seems to grab onto the phone of the last driver if it's in range. When that happens, I have to manually switch profiles, and eventually all is right with the world.

Otherwise:

EDIT: When AA refuses to cooperate at all, I reboot my phone, and if it still does not work, then I reboot SYNC. That's a rarity, but have had to do it a handful of times the past year or so.

 

[garthus]

I've had this happens with Edge rentals in addition to the ME. If I don't have a USB cable, the simplest and most reliable solution was to turn off car, open door, wait a few seconds and start car.

I've had this happen with multiple phones

 

[Mach-E-Velli]

Rebooting your phone usually fixes this issue. I am about 50/50 on AA connecting right away. Usually better in the morning for some reason!
I also have an issue where AA will disconnect and reconnect periodically if I am also logged into Ford Pass. If I log out of Ford Pass, AA immediately reconnects. I don't need FordPass while I am driving so not a big deal but I don't realize it until the map disappears or my music stops.

 

[FirstPony]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, everyone. I've tried most of them before - rebooting phone, rebooting Sync, disconnecting and reconnecting bluetooth. I also tried the suggestion about app projection, but that didn't do anything.

I decided the next idea was just to nuke everything and start over. Deleted the phone from the car, deleted the bluetooth entry for the MME on my phone, cleared the cache AND the data on the Android Auto app on the phone. Restarted the phone, started the car, force-closed and disabled the AA app on the phone, re-enabled the app, and then began setting up everything from scratch.

This eventually worked, at least for two drives so far. We will see if it sticks for long. But I appreciate all the suggestions!

 

[GrayWolf]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, everyone. I've tried most of them before - rebooting phone, rebooting Sync, disconnecting and reconnecting bluetooth. I also tried the suggestion about app projection, but that didn't do anything.

I decided the next idea was just to nuke everything and start over. Deleted the phone from the car, deleted the bluetooth entry for the MME on my phone, cleared the cache AND the data on the Android Auto app on the phone. Restarted the phone, started the car, force-closed and disabled the AA app on the phone, re-enabled the app, and then began setting up everything from scratch.

This eventually worked, at least for two drives so far. We will see if it sticks for long. But I appreciate all the suggestions!

If you're using a Samsung phone with One UI 6.0 - it's a relatively wide-spread problem that AA Wireless just doesn't work. Samsung still hasn't fixed it to this day. There's a small chance that the One UI 6.1 update will bring a silent fix in its update stack. I've posted about this issue in one or two other threads on these forums. I think I've read that other makers sometimes have AA wireless issues, too, but that's a bit more of a rare thing from what I've read on the topic.

 

[johnnycombo]

You need the iPhone upgrade, there is a learning curve, but you will be much happier not dealing with constant glitches.

 

[DaveQ]

It means you are getting sync update. Mine just updated after a day of not connecting.

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