Imagine this: your phone is paired with Android Auto and you’re using voice control to make a hands-free call. The contact’s name shows up on the car screen right away. Instead of placing the phone call, however, the voice assistant glitches and just keeps asking who you want to call over and over.
Many users of Android phones like the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 have been dealing with that frustrating scenario for weeks, and so far, no official patch is available to fix it.
“Who do you want to call?"
Hands-free voice commands are meant to help drivers stay focused on the road, so a software glitch like this can be genuinely distracting.
The voice assistant might recognize the commands accurately (as indicated by the contact’s name on the screen), but it would fail to execute them. It would just respond with “Who do you want to call?” or “Who do you want to text?” If you were to retry, even in a louder or clearer voice, the assistant would remain stuck in the same back-and-forth loop.
The Samsung Galaxy S26, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S24, Pixel 10, and Pixel 10 Pro are among the most affected, and that is genuinely concerning because these are some of the best Android phones on the market. While community specialists have been responding to complaints, neither Samsung nor Google has officially addressed the issue yet.
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Android Auto users can’t catch a break
Complaints surrounding Android Auto have spiked following a recent update in October 2026. The update timing seems to coincide with Google’s push to replace the legacy Google Assistant with Gemini AI. While this overlap is not conclusive proof, it does show a pattern of several voice command bugs appearing after the update.
User-submitted complaints on Google Forums | Image by Google
Google has already patched many of these issues in the update, and more patches are likely to follow.
In the meantime, Android Auto users are facing new glitches seemingly every week. Just this week, Google patched a connectivity bug that prevented users from even connecting to Android Auto.
Are there any workarounds?
Until Google releases an official patch, there are a few workarounds you can try to make hands-free calls in your car.
Instead of saying the contact’s name, try reciting the 10-digit phone number
Switch back to the legacy Google Assistant on your phone and reconnect with Android Auto
If none of these tips help, you may just have to wait for Google to roll out an update. You can check the official tracker on Google Forums to stay updated.
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Faisal Rasool has been writing about mobile tech for the past ten years. His favorite cousin used to be a mobile technician and, as a kid, Faisal learned how to repair and tweak phones in his workshop. Faisal's first phone was the Samsung Galaxy Europa (released 2010). More Android smartphones followed it, including the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Galaxy S6, Huawei P8, and currently the Galaxy A56.
He's a life-long Android guy because he loves other open-source platforms. He's been covering such platforms for websites like How-To Geek, Android Headlines, Android Police, SlashGear, and now PhoneArena.
Faisal has a bachelor's in English literature and he likes to write stories and paint in his free time.
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