Anyone who has ever used Android Auto has likely experienced this issue at some point: you get a call on your phone, pick it up, and then… nothing. You can't hear the person talking, or perhaps you can hear them, but they can't hear you.
After having this happen to me randomly on several occasions, I decided to dig deeper into the problem and found a few potential solutions that should help get rid of it once and for all.
One of the easiest things to rule out is whether Android Auto has all the permissions it requires. If calls used to work but now randomly don't, this could be the culprit, as Android privacy updates can sometimes automatically revoke permissions for apps, and Android Auto requires a surprising number of permissions for calls to work.
Head over to your phone's Settings > Apps > App Management (the wording and location may differ slightly on your device). Scroll down to Android Auto and open Permissions. Here, make sure Call logs, Contacts, Microphone, Nearby devices, and Phone are all allowed.
To completely rule out potential permission issues with Android Auto, I recommend allowing all the permissions listed.
Aside from Android Auto, you should allow all permissions for Google Play services as well.
It's also worth pointing out that there's a system-wide option for microphone access, which you can configure in Android's Privacy settings or through the Quick Settings panel. However, if the microphone works in other apps, this isn't the culprit.
Although Android Auto uses a high-bandwidth Wi-Fi connection to communicate between your phone and your car's head unit for the vast majority of tasks, it still relies on Bluetooth for hands-free calls. If the handshake fails for whatever reason, Android Auto could still work for media and navigation, but calls might not get patched through.
For starters, go to your phone's Bluetooth settings, find your car in the list of paired devices, and make sure everything under Use for is toggled on.
But more often than not, the problem could be a previously or currently connected Bluetooth device taking over your calls or causing a glitch that results in no device having access to your microphone. If your calls seem to intermittently stop working, this could be the problem.
Try disconnecting any Bluetooth devices that are nearby, including your smartwatch and earbuds, then disconnect and reconnect Android Auto to see if the issue persists. Once you find the device causing the problem, consider disabling it for calls completely so that your head unit can take over.
Android has progressively become more aggressive at shutting down background processes to preserve battery life. Unfortunately, this behavior can sometimes affect core system components like Android Auto.
The first thing you should check is the app-specific battery optimization for Android Auto. Go to your phone's Settings > Apps > App Management, find Android Auto, tap Battery, and set it to Unrestricted.
On Samsung phones, there's a system-wide battery optimization option that you should configure. Go to Settings > Battery > Background usage limits > Never auto sleeping apps. Tap the plus icon and add Android Auto to this list.
Google Pixel owners should check whether the Adaptive Battery option is enabled. If it is, consider turning it off to stop it from killing background services essential to Android Auto.
