Android Auto updates break Google Assistant for some just after big redesign

Ben Schoon | Feb 9 2024 - 8:15 am PT

Recent updates to Android Auto seem to be causing problems with Google Assistant for some users, with “oops, something went wrong” error messages whenever a voice command is attempted.

Voice commands are key to any infotainment experience, and Android Auto greatly improves on most native car systems by using Google Assistant, which can handle starting calls, controlling music, setting destinations, and more. So, when that isn’t operable, it’s obviously a pretty big deal.

For some Android Auto users, that’s exactly what’s going on right now, as recent updates seem to have broken Google Assistant.

When trying to activate Google Assistant in the car, Android Auto bounces back with an error saying “oops, something went wrong.” That’s before any voice command has even been issued, too. There are dozens of reports of this happening across several threads on Google’s support forums, and there doesn’t seem to be any clear fix available.

There’s little rhyme or reason to what the potential cause may be, but from the reports available, it seems to be either the Android Auto 11.1 update or, more likely, a recent Google app update. Reports started coming in towards the end of January. In any case, the issue isn’t affecting all users, but it’s not exactly uncommon either.

Some potential troubleshooting measures could include checking for updates to your apps in the Play Store, sideloading a new Android Auto beta version, or rolling back the app versions by uninstalling updates. But, most likely, this is an issue that will be fixed within the next several days.

Ironically, this is happening right after Google rolled out a big visual update to Assistant on Android Auto. It’s highly unlikely that the redesign had anything to do with this error, though.