Android Auto’s new USB diagnostics tool makes it easier to identify bad cables

Android Auto is Google’s smart driving app that mirrors useful apps and other features from your phone to your car’s head unit. It can do this both over a wired connection and wirelessly. If you’re using the wired connection and having issues with Android Auto, a faulty USB cable could be to blame.

Often times Android Auto issues stem from a faulty or bad quality USB cable, and Google is making it easier to identify such cables with a new diagnostics tool that’s built right into the Android Auto app.

Bad USB cables are frequently behind Android Auto issues, so in the latest version of the Android Auto app (7.5.121104), Google’s adding a USB Startup Diagnostics tool. https://t.co/biu7BNMeoe pic.twitter.com/lEJNTTWfU4

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 16, 2022

The USB Startup Diagnostics tool is rolling out with the latest version of the Android Auto app. The tool appears in Android Auto’s settings page under “Connection help.” Basically, it checks if your USB cable is able to transfer data between your phone and the head unit and lets you know if there’s an issue.

Screenshots credit: Mishaal Rahman

Google’s support page for Android Auto mentions that you should use a high-quality USB cable that’s at least 3 feet long. It also says you shouldn’t use USB hubs or cable extensions.

As mentioned above, the USB diagnostics tool has started rolling out with Android Auto version 7.5.121104. To try it out, grab the update from the Play Store. Alternatively, you can sideload the latest APK from APKMirror.

In related news, Google’s working on a major redesign for Android Auto. The new UI, codenamed “Coolwalk,” will be the biggest UI overhaul for Android Auto since 2019 and is designed as such to reduce the number of times the user leaves the navigation mode. We have already seen the new design in leaked images. However, it hasn’t rolled out to users yet.

Android Auto (Free, Google Play) →