Drivers furious over Android Auto! Display is washed out, Spotify widget also acting up

If Android Auto has felt a bit more broken than usual in recent weeks, you’re not alone. Users worldwide are reporting two specific issues – a non-functional Spotify widget and a strangely washed-out display with a grayish tint. And while the first problem was likely caused by a Spotify update, the second one is probably Google’s direct fault.

Spotify acts like nothing is playing

The first issue concerns the popular music service Spotify. The widget on the Android Auto dashboard only displays an empty field with the message “Tap to open,” even when music or a podcast is currently playing. The app itself works normally – just open it and you’ll see the currently playing track. The problem is purely with that small widget on the main screen.

What’s worse, in some cases, physical buttons for skipping tracks on the steering wheel also stop working. This is no longer just a cosmetic flaw, but a real problem while driving. The editorial team of the American website 9to5Google noticed the issues already in July, around the time Spotify added support for the “Jam” feature for collaborative listening. Since then, the problem has persisted – specifically in the tested Subaru Forester vehicle.

That this is not an isolated case is confirmed by a Reddit thread from this week, where a number of other users are complaining about the same thing. A fix will most likely come directly from Spotify in one of the future app updates.

Gray Haze Instead of Black

The second problem is visually more noticeable and directly concerns the Android Auto display. Users report that the screen looks faded or grayish. Instead of rich black areas, they only see various shades of gray, as if someone applied a contrast-reducing filter to the entire interface.

Drivers furious over Android Auto! Display is washed out, Spotify widget also acting up Jakub Kárník News Jakub Kárník News

Given that affected users do not specify particular Android Auto version numbers, it’s unclear whether this is due to a faulty update or a change made on Google’s servers. In any case, the fix will have to be provided directly by Google, not by car manufacturers or third parties.

What to do about it?

Unfortunately, in both cases, there’s nothing to do but wait for a fix. For the Spotify issue, you can try reinstalling the app or reverting to an older version before the July update. For the washed-out display, a similar trick doesn’t work – Android Auto updates automatically, and older versions are often not compatible with the current in-car system.

While Android Auto has been relatively stable in recent months, these two bugs show that it’s still not perfect. Especially the Spotify control issue can be annoying while driving, when you have to reach for your phone instead of using the steering wheel buttons. Hopefully, Google and Spotify will release fixes as soon as possible.

Are you also experiencing issues with Spotify in Android Auto?

Source: 9to5google