Some Android Auto users seeing ‘Searching for GPS’ issue with Google Maps

Ben Schoon | Jan 26 2023 - 8:08 am PT

If your Android Auto sessions lately have been plagued with a “Searching for GPS” issue, you’re not alone.

Over the past several days, Google Maps on Android Auto has been surfacing a “Searching for GPS” issue for some users across multiple car models, smartphone models, and Android Auto versions. The issue has popped up across several forum threads and Reddit.

What’s odd here is that the issue isn’t occurring when using the Google Maps app outside of Android Auto. And, on top of that, there’s at least one way in which this issue doesn’t appear on Android Auto. Users report that the problem only occurs once the phone has been put to sleep, with the screen turned off.

But, there might be a relatively simple explanation.

Some users have found success with changing Google Maps’ permissions on their Android devices, ensuring that the app has its Location permission set to “allow all the time,” as PiunikaWeb points out. Others have more recently found success in turning off optimized battery usage.

These possible solutions don’t really explain why this issue has cropped up just in the past few days, but at the very least they might provide a quick fix while Google addresses the root issue. If you’re seeing “Searching for GPS” errors on Google Maps on Android Auto lately, drop a comment below and let us know.