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Android Auto showing comically large icons and taskbar for some, Google investigating

Android Auto is a great platform for keeping connected to maps, music, and messages while behind the wheel, but it also seems to be hit with bizarre bugs from time to time. Currently, Google is trying to fix an issue that’s seeing limited impact, but causing some Android Auto users to see huge icons.

A thread on Google’s support forums this week as a known issue relating to Android 12 and Android Auto. The issue causes the Android Auto UI to “blow up” with icons and a taskbar that are comically and unusably large.

In the main case on Google’s forums, with the same user posting to Reddit as well, Android Auto’s icons are left taking over a massive portion of the display.

The “Home” button alone takes up a large portion of the interface, with the taskbar covering almost half of the display. While large icons on the homescreen would certainly be annoying, the massive taskbar seems like the bigger usability issue.

The exact cause here is unclear, but it seems to be happening independent of existing Android Auto versions as well as cables. Rather, it seems the phone is the root of the problem.

android auto huge icons issue

While reports of this problem are limited, one common thread appears to be Android 12, and specifically Android 12 on some international devices. There’s one report from a Samsung Galaxy A53 in the mix, the bulk appears to be coming from Oppo, OnePlus, and Xiaomi smartphones more than anything else.

This latest report references two Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro devices with the issue, as well as that Galaxy A53. But a few months ago, some users were seeing the same issue on Oppo Find X3 Neo, Find X3 Pro, and OnePlus 9 Pro devices, as well as a Xiaomi 11 Pro.

Google marked this issue as one that it is investigating, so we can expect a fix to come in time.

Currently, Google is also currently investigating ongoing connection issues with the Galaxy S22 series and the Pixel 6, as well as some problems that stemmed from the Android 12 update on a variety of devices.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

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