Something is probably wrong with the Android Auto voice command
Reliable voice input can make a lot of sense in the car, after all it helps to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. Stupid only when the voice command causes the entire on-board system to stop working. This is exactly what seems to be the case with Google Auto at the moment. The command “Hey Google” then does not start the assistant, but causes a crash.
How affected users in the Google Help Forum (via golem) describe, the voice command can ensure that Android Auto closes completely without any response and the vehicle display goes black. Others describe how elements of the interface appear to disappear at random and then reappear after trying to activate the assistant with the known keyword.
This is exactly where the first indication of the cause of the error seems to be found. The bug does not appear to occur when the Google Assistant is activated using a button on the steering wheel – so the system that activates the voice command seems to be stuck.
Since mid-December
The error appears to have only recently appeared, with the first error reports being written in mid-December. Google employees have confirmed in the help forum that the problem is being investigated, but a solution cannot be provided at this time.
And so, as is so often the case, it is those affected themselves who have at least discovered a workaround. One user reports that after resetting the last update of the Google app, the crashes no longer occur – another indication that the error is probably due to language processing.
See also:
