I spend a few hours commuting almost every day, and keeping myself entertained while on the road is a big part of my daily routine. Since I use an Android phone, I use Android Auto for this task. Along with playing my favorite music tracks and podcasts, Android Auto assists with the best route I can take based on the amount of traffic.
During my commutes, I’ve faced everything from minor niggles to complete blackouts when using Android Auto, putting my safety in jeopardy. What’s more annoying is that Android Auto is consistently inconsistent. There are times when it’s flawless, and times when it struggles to perform simple tasks, like making a call. Despite years of iterations and updates, Google hasn’t put any effort into eliminating these issues, and Android Auto is still a frustrating mess in 2025. Here’s everything wrong with it, and how Google can fix the UI.
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6 No uniformity in layout
Who even asked for persistent Google Maps?
One of my biggest gripes with Android Auto is the lack of uniformity in its looks and all the UI elements displayed on the home screen. I drive two cars and must alternate between them depending on where I’m going and how many passengers travel with me. Despite using the same phone with both cars to access Android Auto, the resultant layout is very different. On one car, the Android Auto home screen with the list of all my apps takes up the entire screen real estate. The other displays a split-screen layout with two-thirds of the display showing my list of apps, while one-third is a persistent window with my navigation app.
Google Maps runs on the second layout at all times, needlessly chewing through the battery. This happens even when I’m not using navigation. This isn’t the case with the other car, where the Maps interface only shows up when I launch it or ask Google Assistant to navigate to a location. The Maps UI stays persistent no matter which app I launch, so it’s there when I play music, make a call, or anything else.
This behavior results from Android Auto adapting to each car’s screen size and aspect ratio. However, users should have the option to choose whether they want a persistent app, which app they want it to be, and how much screen space it should take up. Due to this difference, my muscle memory is confused when I switch cars, which isn’t ideal for a screen you barely see when driving.
5 Poor performance even with flagships
Where’s my snappy interface?
Since part of my job involves testing and reviewing the latest smartphones, I use top-of-the-line Android phones. These phones have the best chipsets coupled with high RAM and storage capacities. These phones are the best for high-performance tasks like gaming and video editing.
Despite the most powerful Qualcomm or MediaTek chipsets running the show, Android Auto has always been laggy with a ton of stutters when navigating the UI. When the interface uses my phone as the brain and the car stereo displays the UI to the driver, I don’t understand why the experience is so poor. What’s the point of having powerful internals when it can’t run a simple UI overlay with basic apps? On the other hand, even a basic iPhone like the iPhone SE, or an older iPhone like the iPhone 13 with a three-year-old chip, runs CarPlay smoother than the latest Android flagship can run Android Auto.
4 Google Assistant is a mess
I don’t have high hopes for Gemini either
Since Google started paying more attention to the development of Gemini, Google Assistant isn’t what it used to be. I’ve used Nest speakers around my house for half a decade, and that’s as long as I’ve used Android Auto. Google Assistant worked like a charm on both platforms earlier, with almost 100% of my queries getting answered accurately. However, that’s no longer the case. While it’s still manageable with my Nest speakers since my home is a controlled environment, it’s a nightmare when I’m driving.
I often ask Google Assistant to navigate to a destination, send a text to someone, or set a reminder when I’m driving, all without using my phone or typing a word. Google Assistant had no issue performing these tasks earlier.
Lately, though, Assistant can’t detect what I say and often throws errors or gets things wrong. For instance, it picks the wrong contact to send a message to, and gets the message contents wrong. One day, I asked Google Assistant to place a call to my mom. It said: “Sorry, please check your phone to perform this function.” I can’t check my phone when I’m driving. Gemini also messes up basic tasks on my phone, so I’m not confident of what’s to come.
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3 Cannot answer calls from third-party apps
Need to answer WhatsApp calls manually
I stay in India, where WhatsApp is huge, and most people message or call each other via WhatsApp. It’s faster and often results in better call quality thanks to fast Wi-Fi networks instead of patchy cellular signals. Android Auto doesn’t display the calls I receive via WhatsApp on the screen when driving. Instead, I have to swipe up on my phone to receive a call. This is counterintuitive since Android Auto is supposed to make my life easier while driving.
It’s also strange since text notifications from WhatsApp show up on the screen without issues. Apple CarPlay, on the other hand, displays calls from all third-party apps on the screen, along with the option to answer or reject them.
2 Random freezes and disconnections
Can be dangerous when on the road
Even if I look past the issues I mentioned above, I cannot fathom how there could be connectivity issues on Android Auto years after its existence. My phone is often disconnected from the car, and I have to pull over to the side and establish the connection. This only happens with wireless Android Auto, but it shouldn’t happen in the first place.
Initially, I thought it was an issue with my car stereo. When the same issue didn’t happen with CarPlay, I realized Android Auto was at fault. I asked around and learned that several friends also faced the same issues. Some mentioned how their screen went blank occasionally, and only a restart fixed it. This could be fatal when driving since it can distract and frustrate the person behind the wheel.
1 Fix the battery drain already
Almost drains a percent every minute
My final gripe with Android Auto is that it’s a massive battery hog when used wirelessly. I prefer wireless Android Auto for convenience, but I can’t fathom the battery drain, even when using a phone with huge 6,000mAh cells. Plus, my phones tend to get extremely hot to the touch during this process.
While iPhones also tend to drain battery when using CarPlay, the rate of decline isn’t as fast as Android Auto. This is an issue since it reduces the endurance of my phone daily, while also affecting my phone’s battery health, since I have to charge my phone repeatedly to make up for the lost battery. Google needs to make wireless Android Auto more efficient.
All’s not lost
Despite its shortcomings, Android Auto is ahead of Apple CarPlay in some areas. The notification management is better, the UI is less clunky, and you need fewer taps to perform an action, which is important when behind the wheel. Where it falls short is Google’s execution and UI finesse. CarPlay feels like an extension of your iPhone on a larger screen, but Android Auto feels more like an afterthought. Hopefully, Google will realize this and give the interface a massive overhaul. Not only in terms of visuals, but from the ground up.
