Important Google Maps voice commands break on Android Auto

However, as many Android Auto users have learned the hard way, the reliability of this feature is incredibly limited, and voice command bugs come and go.

The latest issue with interacting with Google Assistant in Android Auto affects Google Maps.

Users who reported the problematic behavior on Google’s forums claim that important travel-related commands no longer work as expected, with Google Assistant performing a search instead of performing the requested action.

The best example is requesting an ETA to your destination. On forums, some people have explained that asking Google Assistant for commute times prompts a web search, and that Assistant doesn’t search for the estimated time of arrival at a destination in order to share the data. Others saw similar behavior with other requests, explaining that in each case the search giant was searching the web rather than doing what was requested.

Users who encountered this behavior claim that they have already tried common workarounds, but nothing has restored Google Assistant.

Voice commands appear broken when Android Auto is connected. Someone said that everything works fine if the smartphone is not connected to the media receiver. This behavior suggests a glitch in Android Auto, but we believe the issue was introduced by a recent Google app update. Clearing the Google app cache and data does not resolve the error.

Google has not yet commented on this error, but fortunately it does not affect a large number of users. However, the number of people encountering the same issue may be even higher considering that this issue recently appeared after an update rolled out to users through the Google Play Store.

Meanwhile, Android Auto also makes Google Assistant smarter with artificial intelligence integration. AI-powered features allow Google Assistant to create summaries of long conversations, so drivers don’t have to listen to busy conversations. Google Assistant reads all your messages, creates a summary with important parts, and provides you with relevant answers. For example, if your message includes a question about when to arrive at your destination, Google Assistant can offer to share your estimated time of arrival via Google Maps by displaying a shortcut on your screen.

Google has already started integrating support into existing Android Auto builds, so the option to summarize messages will be rolled out later this year. However, this feature is only available in certain languages ​​and regions, but if you live in the US, you’ll definitely be among the first to take advantage of the AI-powered feature.