I tried Android Auto again after 7 years, and I still hate it

Jul 30, 2026 — 6:30 AM ET

I’m an Android guy through and through. So when I bought a brand-new car back in 2019, I was excited to see that it supported Android Auto. However, after a quick stint with it, I decided it was not for me. The software was too buggy and rigid for me at the time, and I just didn’t find it any more useful than the built-in infotainment system in my car.

However, a lot has changed over the last seven years. Android Auto gained several new features and, on paper, resolved a lot of the bugginess I remembered. With that in mind, I gave it another chance to see how much my opinion of it has changed. The answer, unfortunately, is not much. I still hate the Android Auto experience for several reasons and don’t see myself using it, despite having a few perks I genuinely enjoy.

Do you use Android Auto?

Navigation is a step back for me

Navigation is one of the main reasons why people use Android Auto, so it’s the first thing I tested out. I opened up Google Maps, typed in an address, and off I went.

I was under the impression that this would be a better experience than the built-in navigation in my car, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. There are two reasons for that.

The first one is that Google Maps doesn’t work with the HUD (head-up display) in my car. That means I have to look at the main screen to see the navigation instead of having some of that data right in my line of sight. First-world problems, I know, but my car’s built-in navigation does show me turn-by-turn directions in the HUD, and once you get used to that, it’s hard to go back to the old way.

The second issue is that my car reads road signs and constantly shows me the speed limit. It’s a feature that helps me a lot since I tend to miss a speed sign here and there. It shows up on my main dashboard as well as on the HUD, making sure I can always see it.

Running Maps on Android Auto for just 30 minutes resulted in my Pixel 9a getting uncomfortably hot to hold.

However, as soon as I use navigation via Android Auto, that feature stops working altogether. It just… disappears. I’m not sure if this is an issue specific to my car or something that’s standard across brands. I also tried switching to HERE WeGo, a Google Maps alternative I’ve been using more and more these days, and the story was the same — it broke the speed limit feature and didn’t work with the car’s HUD.

As if that’s not enough, running Maps on Android Auto for just 30 minutes resulted in my Pixel 9a getting uncomfortably hot to hold.

So, all in all, the experience isn’t nearly as good as the built-in navigation system in my car, which has never failed me in the last seven years, doesn’t break other features in the car, and is just easier to use since I don’t have to mess with any cables.

I don’t need all of this

So navigation sucks, but that’s not the only reason for using Android Auto. You get access to all sorts of apps, but to be honest, I really don’t need them. Opening up the app launcher showed me all sorts of apps from my phone, including Weather, Calendar, Google News, WhatsApp, and even Google Meet.

Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I’m not going to take any meetings while in the car. I don’t want to check my calendar, any and all messages and notifications can wait, and I definitely don’t care about listening to a narration of Google News articles.

I feel bombarded with information throughout the day as is, so I try to stay away from that while driving. Not only does it help me stay safer by letting me focus on the road, but it’s also a way for me to stay in the moment — ditch all the apps I use throughout the day, and ignore every beep from my phone. It’s just me and the road, and a bit of music to lift my spirits. That’s it. My car’s infotainment system gives me everything I need and gets out of the way, while Android Auto is just another tool that can distract me.

It’s not designed with me in mind

Granted, I’ll admit that, generally speaking, Android Auto isn’t a bad system per se. It’s just designed with a different type of user in mind.

When driving, all I care about is music and maps.

All I care about in my car is music and maps. That’s it. But I see people trying to stay connected at all times while driving, picking up their phone at every stop sign or, worse, fiddling with it while driving. For those people, Android Auto is a great system. They can stay connected with friends as all their messages are read out loud to them instead of scrolling through their apps manually while on the road. It’s a lot safer this way.

It’s easier to call someone, and the inclusion of Gemini helps people get things done or just have someone to talk to while alone in the car. I’m just not one of those people. The more I can block out the outside world while driving, the better — and Android Auto does the opposite for me.

I will admit, I like these three things

Despite the fact that Android Auto doesn’t get along with me — or my car, for that matter — I still like three things about it. While I don’t see myself using Google Maps due to the issues I mentioned, I like the idea of having maps that are always up to date.

Updating the maps in my car is a more complex process that actually costs money, so I’ve been avoiding it for the last seven years. It’s not the end of the world, but outdated maps have thrown me off a few times — like when the system told me to turn left in 100 meters, only for a new five-exit roundabout to appear out of nowhere. However, I rarely run into situations like these, so I haven’t bothered updating anything just yet.

Then there’s music streaming. I connect my phone to my car via Bluetooth to play tunes, and the controls are limited to play, pause, and skip via dedicated buttons on my steering wheel. It’s fine for the most part, but the Spotify app gives me more control, as I can easily change the playlist or switch to a podcast I want to listen to. It’s the only app on Android Auto that I’d actually benefit from, but it’s not a good enough reason to use the system given all its other flaws.

And then there’s the split screen, which shows me both maps and an app like Spotify on one screen. My car’s infotainment system doesn’t allow this, so I have to press a button to toggle between them. It’s not super annoying since I don’t do it that often, but a split-screen option would still be nice to have.

I’d like to hear from you now. Do you like using Android Auto, or are you like me and see it as a distraction?