Model Year 25/26 Android Auto lost connection to my phone

[Steve-Formentor]

Driving to an emergency vet in the early hours of this morning with my very poorly cat , needed my phone for satnav and it decided not to connect for the very first time, s*ds law. Tried re-connecting this morning but no go, I get the confirmation pin on phone and infotainment screen but still doesn't connect after confirming. Anyone had this issue and found a fix? Phone is a Samsung s24. Update - had to unpair and re-pair to get it working, have software version 2768, anyone had this issue and found a preventative fix?

 

[James_R]

I have a new Tiguan also on 2768 and use an S25, I'd say that it fails to initially connect a good 75% of the time. I have to reset the infotainment system to get it to pair.

 

[Steve-Formentor]

I have a new Tiguan also on 2768 and use an S25, I'd say that it fails to initially connect a good 75% of the time. I have to reset the infotainment system to get it to pair.

Thanks, so not alone, seems VAG still haven't addressed all of the infotainment issues. Another minor niggle to add to the list.

 

[MATT RILEY]

Had this on my new Pixel 11 pro 3 times now, phone on off cures it but didn't happen ever on the pixel 10 pro? Mines a older format or on sw 1989.

 

[Momochi]

I have been struggling with this "Android Auto connection failed at start" issue since collecting the car last November. No, no, should be since rented a Golf mk8.5 in October 2025.

Researched extensively using AI (Google Gemini, ChatGPT, MS CoPilot, etc) over the past 8 months, below are my findings to minimise the chance of connection failure:

(1) Never update Android Auto on your phone immediately once it is available in Google Play app, better wait for around 2 weeks and check for online comments if it has been confirmed safe to go ahead. For example when I was on version 17.1.xxxxxx, I deliberately skipped updating to 17.2.xxxxxx due to widespread problems of "connection lost after ~5 mins". 17.3.6628xx is fine so far since updated 2 weeks ago, connection failed at only ~10%.

(2) Have your phone unlocked when connecting to the car, as a locked phone would make the Wifi connection failed easily (even after Bluetooth is successfully connected).

(3) If your phone allows you to use its memory as RAM (i.e. extended memory), disabled this feature. Mine has 16GB RAM, any extended memory would not make your phone run faster nor smoother, but will adversely affect the Android Auto connection.

(4) Every time you have updated the Android Auto app, clear any previous connections to your vehicles, and at your cars delete the phones already connected. This will help to clear any old data stored at your cars and phones.

 

[Momochi]

Thanks, so not alone, seems VAG still haven't addressed all of the infotainment issues. Another minor niggle to add to the list.

Not just VAG, KIA and BMW etc also having problems with Android Auto.

The best one so far seems to be Ford, per AI comments.

 

[Steve-Formentor]

I have been struggling with this "Android Auto connection failed at start" issue since collecting the car last November. No, no, should be since rented a Golf mk8.5 in October 2025.

Researched extensively using AI (Google Gemini, ChatGPT, MS CoPilot, etc) over the past 8 months, below are my findings to minimise the chance of connection failure:

(1) Never update Android Auto on your phone immediately once it is available in Google Play app, better wait for around 2 weeks and check for online comments if it has been confirmed safe to go ahead. For example when I was on version 17.1.xxxxxx, I deliberately skipped updating to 17.2.xxxxxx due to widespread problems of "connection lost after ~5 mins". 17.3.6628xx is fine so far since updated 2 weeks ago, connection failed at only ~10%.

(2) Have your phone unlocked when connecting to the car, as a locked phone would make the Wifi connection failed easily (even after Bluetooth is successfully connected).

(3) If your phone allows you to use its memory as RAM (i.e. extended memory), disabled this feature. Mine has 16GB RAM, any extended memory would not make your phone run faster nor smoother, but will adversely affect the Android Auto connection.

(4) Every time you have updated the Android Auto app, clear any previous connections to your vehicles, and at your cars delete the phones already connected. This will help to clear any old data stored at your cars and phones.

Thanks very much, can discount all but point 2, will start doing that.

Still would like to know why once it fails, it won't re-connect, suspect a caching issue. Will also try infotainment re-boot if it happens again as that's far quicker than unpair re-pair and if it is a caching issue will solve that.

Given the inter dependency of devices nowadays you would think it's not beyond reason that the various companies responsible for producing the software couldn't have some sort of mechanism to share pre-release information that would prevent this type of issue.

 

[CupForm]

I have a new Tiguan also on 2768 and use an S25, I'd say that it fails to initially connect a good 75% of the time. I have to reset the infotainment system to get it to pair.

The problem seems to be specific to Samsung phones with Android 16 and One UI 8.5 (and also previously 8.0) on top. I encountered the exact same behavior on the pre-facelift model also - so different infotainment HW and SW - but still with Samsung on Android 16. Before my phone upgraded to Android 16 the connection was not so unreliable.
This Samsung-VAG connectivity issue is confirmed by the amount of posts available online, so I'm almost convinced it's a very specific bug - but really difficult to point fingers towards Sam or VAG.
When I first encountered this bug, it was only occurring after a brief stop - e.g. stop at a gas station. AA running smoothly at the first drive of the day - short stop -> connection failure -> force reboot of infotainment being the only solution to the problem.
Now with the newer car, the failure mostly occurs during the first car-start of the day - and it's more often than it used to be. Even more annoying is the fact that (some 33% of the cases) a single reboot of the infotainment is NOT enough - sometimes I need to repeat it 2-4 times to establish the connection.
Really annoying, and sometimes happening during the worst possible moments! In a few isolated instances it failed while driving (being out of the AA screen - into the battery management layer for example) and if this happens when your in the middle of crazy traffic on a major junction of several highways, it can become quite costly time-wise, or became a real driving-safety issue!

 

[Steve-Formentor]

The problem seems to be specific to Samsung phones with Android 16 and One UI 8.5 (and also previously 8.0) on top. I encountered the exact same behavior on the pre-facelift model also - so different infotainment HW and SW - but still with Samsung on Android 16. Before my phone upgraded to Android 16 the connection was not so unreliable.
This Samsung-VAG connectivity issue is confirmed by the amount of posts available online, so I'm almost convinced it's a very specific bug - but really difficult to point fingers towards Sam or VAG.
When I first encountered this bug, it was only occurring after a brief stop - e.g. stop at a gas station. AA running smoothly at the first drive of the day - short stop -> connection failure -> force reboot of infotainment being the only solution to the problem.
Now with the newer car, the failure mostly occurs during the first car-start of the day - and it's more often than it used to be. Even more annoying is the fact that (some 33% of the cases) a single reboot of the infotainment is NOT enough - sometimes I need to repeat it 2-4 times to establish the connection.
Really annoying, and sometimes happening during the worst possible moments! In a few isolated instances it failed while driving (being out of the AA screen - into the battery management layer for example) and if this happens when your in the middle of crazy traffic on a major junction of several highways, it can become quite costly time-wise, or became a real driving-safety issue!

Excellent information, thanks, one of your experiences so closely mirrors what happened to me. May be widen my search to other VAG marks in future instead of focusing on Seat and Cupra as so much commonality between them.

 

[trew]

Driving to an emergency vet in the early hours of this morning with my very poorly cat , needed my phone for satnav and it decided not to connect for the very first time, s*ds law. Tried re-connecting this morning but no go, I get the confirmation pin on phone and infotainment screen but still doesn't connect after confirming. Anyone had this issue and found a fix? Phone is a Samsung s24. Update - had to unpair and re-pair to get it working, have software version 2768, anyone had this issue and found a preventative fix?

Hope your cat's okay

 

[Momochi]

The problem seems to be specific to Samsung phones with Android 16 and One UI 8.5 (and also previously 8.0) on top. I encountered the exact same behavior on the pre-facelift model also - so different infotainment HW and SW - but still with Samsung on Android 16. Before my phone upgraded to Android 16 the connection was not so unreliable.
This Samsung-VAG connectivity issue is confirmed by the amount of posts available online, so I'm almost convinced it's a very specific bug - but really difficult to point fingers towards Sam or VAG.
When I first encountered this bug, it was only occurring after a brief stop - e.g. stop at a gas station. AA running smoothly at the first drive of the day - short stop -> connection failure -> force reboot of infotainment being the only solution to the problem.
Now with the newer car, the failure mostly occurs during the first car-start of the day - and it's more often than it used to be. Even more annoying is the fact that (some 33% of the cases) a single reboot of the infotainment is NOT enough - sometimes I need to repeat it 2-4 times to establish the connection.
Really annoying, and sometimes happening during the worst possible moments! In a few isolated instances it failed while driving (being out of the AA screen - into the battery management layer for example) and if this happens when your in the middle of crazy traffic on a major junction of several highways, it can become quite costly time-wise, or became a real driving-safety issue!

Do have a try with the points I mentioned under #5 above and see if those may help minimising the failure rate for your Samsung. I myself is using Poco with Xiaomi's HyperOS which is being considered much more troublesome than Samsung phones on this topic.


My observation is that it is a problem of the combination of "MIB system + phone OS + Android Auto app":

- The culprit is mostly the Wifi handshake failure right after the Bluetooth connection part is completed - due to the delay of the Wifi broadcast from the MIB system, in which the phone OS would "timeout" the Wifi handshake.

- Why the phone OS "timeout" so quickly? Because of the strict power management of your phone to conserve its battery. A delay by a few milliseconds will resulted with timeout failure.

- What Android Auto app has to do with it? Google keep changing the codes in the app over its version development, which affects how it works with different car infotainment systems (VAG/BMW/KIA/FORD/etc) and with different phone OS, that when it fixed one set of an issue with a new app version it will creat another set of problem for another car brand / phone OS.

- If you park your car in the garage next to your house or on your driveway, also try switching off the Wifi on your phone before getting to your car, as the ongoing Wifi connection with your home router may also affect the timeout issue (phone being too lazy to change from connecting with your home wifi to connecting to MIB's Wifi). I don't have such problem as my car is parked in the underground carpark and my flat is a fews floors above.

- Why much less of an issue with iPhones? Simply because Apple are so dominant in the whole game that they have strict requirements for both car manufacturers and phone manufacturers have to follow, unlike Android who keep changing in order to satisfy the needs of different phone brands and car manufacturers.

- Would a wired connection helps? I personally tried many times, all failed even by using the USB3.1 cables from by external harddisks. I suspect that is another set of issue between MIB, phone OS and the app.

 

[Steve-Formentor]

Hope your cat's okay

Thanks, yes he's on the mend, just picked him up, €750 lighter.

 

[Steve-Formentor]

Do have a try with the points I mentioned under #5 above and see if those may help minimising the failure rate for your Samsung. I myself is using Poco with Xiaomi's HyperOS which is being considered much more troublesome than Samsung phones on this topic.


My observation is that it is a problem of the combination of "MIB system + phone OS + Android Auto app":

- The culprit is mostly the Wifi handshake failure right after the Bluetooth connection part is completed - due to the delay of the Wifi broadcast from the MIB system, in which the phone OS would "timeout" the Wifi handshake.

- Why the phone OS "timeout" so quickly? Because of the strict power management of your phone to conserve its battery. A delay by a few milliseconds will resulted with timeout failure.

- What Android Auto app has to do with it? Google keep changing the codes in the app over its version development, which affects how it works with different car infotainment systems (VAG/BMW/KIA/FORD/etc) and with different phone OS, that when it fixed one set of an issue with a new app version it will creat another set of problem for another car brand / phone OS.

- If you park your car in the garage next to your house or on your driveway, also try switching off the Wifi on your phone before getting to your car, as the ongoing Wifi connection with your home router may also affect the timeout issue (phone being too lazy to change from connecting with your home wifi to connecting to MIB's Wifi). I don't have such problem as my car is parked in the underground carpark and my flat is a fews floors above.

- Why much less of an issue with iPhones? Simply because Apple are so dominant in the whole game that they have strict requirements for both car manufacturers and phone manufacturers have to follow, unlike Android who keep changing in order to satisfy the needs of different phone brands and car manufacturers.

- Would a wired connection helps? I personally tried many times, all failed even by using the USB3.1 cables from by external harddisks. I suspect that is another set of issue between MIB, phone OS and the app.

Thanks again, the wifi connection could be the reason, have a mesh wifi because of the property layout that reaches a long way beyond where the car's parked. May switch the phone to the primary router that has a shorter range.

 

[Momochi]

Thanks again, the wifi connection could be the reason, have a mesh wifi because of the property layout that reaches a long way beyond where the car's parked. May switch the phone to the primary router that has a shorter range.

By the way, may I know which version of Android Auto you have having most trouble with? And which version you are using now?

(Cats have 9 lives, when we only have 1)

 

[Momochi]

Just read this article.

Android Auto team is rolling up with a fix for your Spotify problems - Android Authority https://share.google/nID82pvzONad2Rfj2


My thought is: if your MIB3 / MIB4 system does not suffer from this "Sporify" issue, better NOT to update your Android Auto app to version 17.5.xxxxxx. I myself is a heavy user of both Android Auto (17.3.xxxxxx) and Spotify together, but my MIB4 is not being affected from this. I suspect it is the non-VAG infotainment system(s) which was in concern.

If Google made some changes in the latest update in order to fix the others' failure, it is bound to break something which is currently working fine to VAG system.

 

[Steve-Formentor]

By the way, may I know which version of Android Auto you have having most trouble with? And which version you are using now?

(Cats have 9 lives, when we only have 1)

Infotainment is version 2786, didn't know Android Auto had a separate version. Phone is Android 16 with one UI version 8.5. Update: Android Auto version is 17.4.663044

 

[trew]

Thanks, yes he's on the mend, just picked him up, €750 lighter.

So it's not only English vets that rip you off?

 

[Steve-Formentor]

To be

So it's not only English vets that rip you off?

To be fair, our normal vet is very reasonable but some 24 hour vets are being run by large companies who are in it to make big profits and we had no choice on Tuesday night.

 

[CupForm]

Do have a try with the points I mentioned under #5 above and see if those may help minimising the failure rate for your Samsung. I myself is using Poco with Xiaomi's HyperOS which is being considered much more troublesome than Samsung phones on this topic.


My observation is that it is a problem of the combination of "MIB system + phone OS + Android Auto app":

- The culprit is mostly the Wifi handshake failure right after the Bluetooth connection part is completed - due to the delay of the Wifi broadcast from the MIB system, in which the phone OS would "timeout" the Wifi handshake.

- Why the phone OS "timeout" so quickly? Because of the strict power management of your phone to conserve its battery. A delay by a few milliseconds will resulted with timeout failure.

- What Android Auto app has to do with it? Google keep changing the codes in the app over its version development, which affects how it works with different car infotainment systems (VAG/BMW/KIA/FORD/etc) and with different phone OS, that when it fixed one set of an issue with a new app version it will creat another set of problem for another car brand / phone OS.

- If you park your car in the garage next to your house or on your driveway, also try switching off the Wifi on your phone before getting to your car, as the ongoing Wifi connection with your home router may also affect the timeout issue (phone being too lazy to change from connecting with your home wifi to connecting to MIB's Wifi). I don't have such problem as my car is parked in the underground carpark and my flat is a fews floors above.

- Why much less of an issue with iPhones? Simply because Apple are so dominant in the whole game that they have strict requirements for both car manufacturers and phone manufacturers have to follow, unlike Android who keep changing in order to satisfy the needs of different phone brands and car manufacturers.

- Would a wired connection helps? I personally tried many times, all failed even by using the USB3.1 cables from by external harddisks. I suspect that is another set of issue between MIB, phone OS and the app.

Indeed, all the research I did online pointed to the Wifi handshake failure as the main culprit for this annoyance. Since I encountered it for quite some time - on the current, as well as on the previous car - I tried various solutions, but one cannot immediately say a fix was found, because sometimes the problem is absent for 1-2 weeks, and suddenly it's going crazy several times a day - really, really unstable behavior... So it can be quite a long process to debug.
Among the points listed above, I haven't tried coming to the car with the phone unlocked; also have to try some other suggestion - entering the car with the phone wifi switched off, an turn it on once the infotainment has finished booting up. I bet I'll forget to apply the "procedure" most of the time - so I don't find it really useful.

 

[Momochi]

Indeed, all the research I did online pointed to the Wifi handshake failure as the main culprit for this annoyance. Since I encountered it for quite some time - on the current, as well as on the previous car - I tried various solutions, but one cannot immediately say a fix was found, because sometimes the problem is absent for 1-2 weeks, and suddenly it's going crazy several times a day - really, really unstable behavior... So it can be quite a long process to debug.
Among the points listed above, I haven't tried coming to the car with the phone unlocked; also have to try some other suggestion - entering the car with the phone wifi switched off, an turn it on once the infotainment has finished booting up. I bet I'll forget to apply the "procedure" most of the time - so I don't find it really useful.

Try clearing the cache memory of the Android Auto app on your phone every 2-3 days may help. This would help clearing the memory mismatch in the app which has stopped it working.

Just another Android issue when Google trying to make the app working with all the different vehicle manufacturers and phone brands.