A spiking number of Samsung Galaxy devices are struggling to connect with Android Auto. All the affected gadgets have one thing in common: they had just been updated to Samsung’s latest One UI 9. Following the update, this bug seems like the most recent in a series of widespread disruptions between Android Auto and Galaxy devices. Google’s development team has finally broken the silence and addressed the problem.
Want to play music in your car? Tough luck
The Android Auto team responded to a complaint from a user whose Galaxy A55 wasn’t connecting with either of their cars. The trouble started right after the brand new One UI 9 upgrade. The user tried Samsung’s recommended fixes but it didn’t make a difference. Google’s Android Auto team acknowledged the user’s issue and it’s working on a fix.
The Android Auto Team responded. | Image by Google Forums
I found several similar threads on Reddit, Google forums and Samsung forums. While Google’s team is actively responding, I found no official statements from Samsung.
Has your Galaxy device been struggling with Android Auto?
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I may have found the patient zero
Using timestamps, I was able to trace the bug back to a user report featuring a Galaxy S26 Ultra, so we know for a fact that the issue isn't exclusive to the A-series. The S26 series of phones were among the first to get the One UI 9 update, and were likely the first to suffer from connection issues.
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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with the One UI 9 bug | Image by Reddit
Curiously enough, their Galaxy S24+, running on One UI 8.5, was running just fine, suggesting it’s a bug caused by the update process.
Will it affect your Galaxy phone?
Up to 30 million Samsung devices potentially rely on Android Auto (based on Samsung’s market share and average US Android Auto stats). Samsung has already rolled out One UI 9 to millions of these devices and millions more will be getting the update in coming weeks. Just last week, Samsung upgraded two more Galaxy A-series phones to One UI 9, so more complaints might be piling up soon.
If we zoom out, the connectivity bug is one of the many Android Auto issues which have been annoying Galaxy users since One UI 9 dropped. For some users, the phone notifications stopped going off while others report missing audio when connected to a call via Android Auto.
It’s unclear when a fix is coming, but the dev teams at Google have acknowledged the issue, so it's safe to assume it's cooking. In the meantime, you can try temporary fixes like:
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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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