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Android Auto updates have broken WhatsApp messages, fix rolling out [U]

One of the best parts of Android Auto is the ability to send and reply to messages from apps on your phone, but for many, that’s broken with WhatsApp as of late.

Android Auto can integrate with many popular messaging apps and send messages from those apps through Google Assistant. This includes Google Messages, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and many others. Likely one of the most used, though, is WhatsApp.

For many users, though, WhatsApp support in Android Auto is broken.

Users report via Google’s forums as well as on Reddit that, in recent days, WhatsApp on Android Auto is not working. Assistant can still read out incoming messages, but cannot send replies or new messages. This started late last week, and while not happening to all users, appears to be reasonably widespread.

This doesn’t seem to be caused by any particular app version for Android Auto, but more likely a server-side tweak that’s gone awry.


Update 4/17: In a statement to 9to5Google, Google says that this issue is being fixed by an update to the WhatsApp app. WhatsApp version 2.24.8.79 should resolve the problem. Users can check for updates via the Play Store.


Google has yet to acknowledge the outage, and it’s unclear when a fix will be available. In the meantime, users are technically still able to send messages from their phone, but you should only do so only when it’s safe!

Are WhatsApp messages broken on Android Auto for you? Let us know in the comments below.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

Find him on Twitter @NexusBen. Send tips to schoon@9to5g.com or encrypted to benschoon@protonmail.com.


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