Why YouTube Music is not working in Android Auto?
Android Auto is Google’s in-car platform that integrates with a vehicle’s infotainment system. It allows drivers to access a simplified version of apps and services through the car’s dashboard screen. One such integration is with YouTube Music, Google’s music streaming service, which permits playback through the vehicle’s speakers via Android Auto.
However, many users have reported issues using YouTube Music with Android Auto recently. Songs won’t play properly, the app is unresponsive or empty on the Android Auto interface, and various other playback problems. This prevents seamless access to YouTube Music libraries while driving.
In this article, we’ll provide an overview of Android Auto and YouTube Music, outline the original integration, discuss current problems users face, explore potential causes and fixes, summarize Google’s response, highlight workarounds, look at what the future may hold, and provide some final conclusions and analysis.
Android Auto Overview
Android Auto is Google’s smart driving assistant and infotainment platform for vehicles. It was first announced in 2014 and allows drivers to access key features of their Android smartphone through their car’s infotainment display (Citation: https://www.android.com/auto/).
Android Auto works by connecting an Android smartphone to a compatible car’s infotainment system either wirelessly or via USB cable. Once connected, Android Auto projects a simplified interface onto the vehicle’s center display, optimized for safer driving with larger icons and voice control (Citation: https://support.google.com/androidauto/answer/6348019?hl=en).
The key capabilities and features of Android Auto include:
- Google Maps navigation
- Google Assistant voice controls
- Hands-free calling and text messaging
- Media playback from compatible apps
- Third party app integration
By projecting a simplified interface onto the car’s display, Android Auto aims to minimize driver distraction and allow for safer use of key smartphone capabilities while driving.
YouTube Music Overview
YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube. It was launched in November 2015 as YouTube Red, a subscription service that provided ad-free access to YouTube videos as well as original content produced for the platform.
In May 2018, the service was relaunched as YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. YouTube Music provides both ad-supported free streaming for all YouTube videos as well as an on-demand streaming service comparable to Spotify or Apple Music that offers over 70 million official songs, albums, thousands of playlists, and artist radio (Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/what-is-youtube-music/).
Key features of YouTube Music include:
- Official songs, albums, playlists and artist radio
- User-generated content like remixes, covers, and mashups
- Smart search that can find songs by lyrics
- Personalized recommendations based on listening history and preferences
- Background listening and downloads for offline playback
YouTube Music aims to bring together the diverse musical content on YouTube with the personalized streaming experience expected from modern music services. It provides official catalogues as well as the user-generated content that made YouTube famous for music discovery (Source: https://music.youtube.com/).
Original YouTube Music-Android Auto Integration
When YouTube Music first became available on Android Auto in 2019, it marked Google’s integration of its music streaming service into its connected car platform [1]. This allowed YouTube Music subscribers to access their music library, playlists, and recommendations directly through their vehicle’s infotainment system.
The initial integration provided key features like song playback, browsing personal playlists, searching for artists, albums or tracks, and accessing personalized recommendations [1]. It gave drivers quick access to YouTube Music without needing to handle their phone. This made it easier and safer to control music playback while driving.
Overall, the launch delivered core functionality to use YouTube Music’s streaming catalog in-vehicle through Android Auto. It expanded the service’s availability across devices and platforms for a seamless listening experience.
Current Issues and Problems
There are a few key issues that Android Auto users face when trying to play YouTube Music through the Android Auto interface:
The main problem is that sometimes YouTube Music just won’t play at all in Android Auto, even when it is set as the default music app. Users have reported the Android Auto interface showing that YouTube Music is playing, but no audio comes through the car speakers [1]. This seems to happen intermittently, working fine on some car rides but failing on others.
Another common issue is that the YouTube Music home screen does not show up properly within the Android Auto interface. Users can still access playlists and queues, but the home screen with recommendations and new releases is missing [2]. This makes it harder to browse and discover new music.
Some users also report very long load times when trying to start playback of a song or playlist in YouTube Music through Android Auto. It can take 10-15 seconds before audio starts, which is frustrating while driving.
In terms of error messages, there does not seem to be a consistent message associated with the playback failures. However, some users see generic errors like “Can’t play this right now” or “Something went wrong” when trying to start playback.
Potential Causes
There are a few potential causes that could explain why YouTube Music is not working properly in Android Auto:
One possibility is incompatible or outdated app versions between YouTube Music and Android Auto. For example, if you are running an older version of the YouTube Music app, it may not be fully compatible with the latest Android Auto update, leading to issues playing music [1]. Ensuring you have the latest versions of both apps installed may help resolve playback problems.
Hardware and OS compatibility could also be a factor. YouTube Music may have issues working with certain Android phone models or Android OS versions when connected to Android Auto. Using an older or unsupported Android device can sometimes lead to problems [2].
Intermittent connectivity problems between the phone, car stereo, and Android Auto wireless can disrupt music streaming. Issues like a weak Bluetooth connection, bad USB cable, or buggy wireless Android Auto connection could prevent playback even if the apps are working correctly.
Finally, account or subscription problems may also affect access to YouTube Music content. Being logged into the wrong account, payment issues, or region restrictions could block streaming music through Android Auto.
Google’s Response
Google has acknowledged some issues with YouTube Music integration in Android Auto. In a support thread, a community specialist confirmed problems with YouTube Music not playing in Android Auto even when set as the default music app.
However, Google has not provided specifics on a timeline for fixes. Some users speculate that the issues arose after recent Android Auto and YouTube Music app updates. There is hope that Google will address the problems in future releases, but the company has not made any official comments about solutions or upcoming updates.
In the meantime, Google recommends trying general troubleshooting steps like restarting devices and clearing app caches. But these have not resolved the core problems for most affected users. Overall, Google is aware of the issues but has not given details about plans to fix YouTube Music integration with Android Auto.
Workarounds
Some users have found workarounds to get YouTube Music working properly with Android Auto again. According to a Reddit thread, clearing the cache and data for both YouTube Music and Android Auto can help fix issues (source). After clearing cache and data, users recommend uninstalling updates for Android Auto and re-updating. Another potential fix is to disable media auto-download in the YouTube Music settings.
If YouTube Music still doesn’t work, there are alternative music apps that function well with Android Auto like Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and others. Some users recommend Vanced Music as an alternative since it’s based on YouTube Music but modified to work better with Android Auto (source). Trying different music apps can provide a temporary solution until YouTube Music integration is improved.
The Future
As of now, there is no official timeline from Google on when a permanent fix will be implemented for the YouTube Music integration issues with Android Auto. However, users on Reddit and other forums speculate that Google is aware of the problems and working on a solution given the number of complaints.1
In the meantime, there are a few potential solutions users can try to improve the experience:
- Downgrade to an older version of the YouTube Music app that still works properly with Android Auto
- Switch to a different music streaming app like Spotify that has better Android Auto integration
- Use voice commands as much as possible to control music playback
- Disable notifications for YouTube Music to prevent interruptions
Hopefully Google will prioritize resolving these problems in a future update to provide seamless access to YouTube Music libraries via Android Auto.
Conclusion
To summarize, YouTube Music’s integration with Android Auto has been problematic since its launch. Many users have experienced issues like sudden disconnections, playback failures, and lagging interfaces. There are likely bugs in the YouTube Music Android Auto app causing these problems.
Google has acknowledged the issues but has yet to provide a definitive fix. Some temporary workarounds include clearing the app cache, re-installing the Android Auto app, or trying alternative music apps. However, the underlying problems still persist for many users.
The best recommendation for now is patience. Google needs more time to optimize the YouTube Music integration and provide a seamless Android Auto experience. Try some troubleshooting steps in the meantime, but know that full functionality may require waiting for future app updates.