Android Auto's latest update just broke a key dashboard feature – and many users are upset

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Android Auto annoyance

Android Auto
(Image credit: Google)
  • The latest Android Auto update has broken the Quick Controls feature
  • This lets you view directions or control media when you're using other apps
  • But in Android Auto 15.2 it no longer seems to work in vertical orientation

Android Auto has just updated to version 15.2, and while that would normally mean getting a few shiny new features for your in-car system, this upgrade has brought a very different reaction from many users. In fact, the new edition has broken a popular Android Auto feature, leading to exasperation and frustration from consumers.

Specifically, complaints have been rolling in that Android Auto 15.2 has broken the operating system’s Quick Controls feature. This is a widget that lets you control media and view directions even when you’re using another app. With Android Auto 15.2, though, the Quick Controls widget no longer seems to be functional when used in a vertical orientation.

Before the latest update, enabling Quick Controls in Android Auto dashboards set up this way would place the taskbar on the bottom of the screen. But according to users on Reddit and Google’s official forums, switching on this option in the Android Auto 15.2 update simply does nothing. This means mean the taskbar is stuck along the vertical edge of your display, no matter what you do.

That’s causing some consternation among users. John Fed on the Google forums reported that the issue was “driving me crazy,” while Reddit user lorenmatt93 described it as “annoying” and “a bug it's been around for the last few months".

Bug or feature?

Android Auto.

(Image credit: Google)

Interestingly, it’s not clear if this apparent bug is actually a deliberate change. Quick Controls used to be a lot more prominent in Android Auto, but since Google switched to a dashboard design, the widget has been replaced by an app shortcut bar.

Now, you need to manually enable Quick Controls in settings before it appears, suggesting that Google wants to place less emphasis on the feature. That might suggest that Google is simply phasing out Quick Controls, with this latest 'bug' a manifestation of this policy.

However, there are indications that that is not the case, such as the fact that the Quick Controls widget only fails to work in specific layouts. With that in mind, the bug might merely be an oversight, with developers simply not fully testing a feature that has fallen down the Android Auto pecking order.

Either way, the issue has generated its fair share of annoyance among users of Quick Controls. Hopefully it’s just one of those quirks that can plague software updates and nothing more. With any luck, Google will release a patch before too long.

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Alex Blake
Alex Blake
Freelance Contributor

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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