Android 14 update broke Android Auto on Google Pixel devices as users report connection issues; Spotify audio glitch surfaces too

Google released the first stable version of Android 14 on October 4. Since then, the update has been available for all eligible Google Pixel devices (Google Pixel 4a 5G and later) and many installed it quickly, eager to enjoy all the new features (or even potentially resolve the battery drain issues present for a long time).

However, not everything has been rosy for ‘early adopters’, as some issues have arisen such as third-party launchers not working, worse connectivity or even soft bricking cases. Now, Google Pixel users are complaining that Android 14 update broke Android Auto connection on their devices, in addition to an annoying Spotify audio glitch.

Android Auto is a useful feature that facilitates interaction with your phone’s favorite apps or services. It allows you to avoid dangerous carelessness while driving thanks to an adapted UI and support for voice commands, enhancing some useful features for driving context (such as Maps apps, for instance). Android Auto comes built-in in some cars models, but you can buy compatible displays separately as well.

That said, Android Auto is not working correctly for several Google Pixel users after updating their phones to Android 14. According to reports, there are cases where the connection between the phone and the car is stuttering or unstable, while in other cases the connection doesn’t even happen.

Some of those affected describe that, just after updating their phones to the latest Android version available, Android Auto connectivity simply stopped working. They tried not only via wireless connection but even with a USB cable, but nothing helped.

On the other hand, there are cases where the unstable connection mainly affects audio apps and services, causing choppy sound output. This can be problematic either when listening to music or receiving directions to a particular address. But not only that, since there are also situations where, although the connection is apparently stable, the audio is completely silent.

It’s notable that the issue was escalated this month by a member of the Android Auto team, although there have been no new official updates on the thread since then.

Interestingly, since the Android 14 rollout, reports of Bluetooth connectivity issues have also emerged from some Google Pixel users. Although it is not yet confirmed, both issues could be related to each other.

Some of those affected have found workarounds that have helped them solve these problems. The first is to uninstall the Android Auto app from your phone and manually install the latest version available (v10.6), whose APK you can download safely from this link.

The other workaround was recommended to a Redditor by the Google support team, and apparently it worked, so you can give it a try. The process is the following:

Alternatively, Sushil Mudgil on Google support forum confirmed that the Android Auto troubleshooting from ‘Android Auto Repair‘ helped resolve the issue, So if none of the above worked for you, you can check it out (from this link) and try it too.

According to the affected people, Spotify app seems to be one of the most affected by the Android Auto connection issues on Google Pixel devices running Android 14. When trying to use it, users are getting stuttering audio or not sound at all, as pointed out by the following report (backed by at least 70 other people facing the same situation).

That said, this problem seems to go beyond Android Auto in some cases, as there are reports where the mobile app is exhibiting erratic behavior, such as a glitched playback notification (which is not showing the name of the song), as described by Redditor Characterjojo_009.

Additionally, some complain that the app is not playing any song for them on their Google Pixel phones after installing Android 14.

Some people suggest that the issues related to the Spotify app may be because the company has not yet properly adapted it to Android 14. After all, each big OS update requires developers to optimize their apps to the new version, or there could be cases of instability like those described above. This is not yet confirmed, but it is a possibility.

All these bugs, in addition to the previous ones that we have been covering in recent days, give the impression that Android 14 still needed a little work ahead before its official rollout. Let’s hope that Google is already working on an update that includes fixes for the most reported ones so that all users receive the experience they deserve.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.