An Android Auto glitch is causing phones to reboot – here's how to fix it

Is Android Auto causing your phone to reboot? You’re not alone.

Over the past few weeks, posts on support forums like Reddit have reported a strange glitch. Any time you try to use Android Auto, the reports say, your phone reboots. In some cases, like those reported on Google’s official page, Android Auto has stopped working entirely.

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Google hasn’t acknowledged the issue, and the problem isn’t widespread. However, it appears often enough that it’s clear something is wrong with that particular version of the app.

ZDNET’s Jack Wallen addressed connectivity issues earlier this week and found that a reboot, a cable change, or a good cleaning could help clear things up. The latest reboot issue, however, is another problem entirely.

In most cases, the issue seems to occur when users interact with Android Auto to play a song, send a message, or use another voice command — not while it’s in use. It happens with both wired and Bluetooth connections, so the issue isn’t with the physical connectors.

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This is just the latest in a series of problems with Android Auto. In the past few months, WhatsApp, SiriusXM, and YouTube have all had issues. Google fixed most of these bugs relatively quickly, so let’s hope this current issue sees a quick resolution.

How to fix the Android Auto reboot glitch

From most reports, the problems occur with Android Auto version 13.4 and 13.5 (those versions rolled out in late January and early February) across a variety of devices. 

If you’re experiencing the reboot problem, try checking to see if you have an update available. 

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I haven’t seen any reports of issues with that version. If you don’t have the update yet, rebooting ironically seems to fix the rebooting issue for a while, according to affected users.