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Android Auto offers a number of ways to access key features on your smartphone (like a Google Pixel) without taking your hands off the steering wheel. For example, you can start calls to specific contacts using a voice command. However, a bug is preventing Android Auto from understanding call-related voice commands.
Starting a call in Android Auto is as simple as pressing the big button in the UI and saying the name of the person you want to call. The system generally works well, with only a few issues where the pronunciation of the name is tricky. It’s a pretty convenient way to initiate a call without distracting yourself from the road.
A bug prevents Android Auto users from starting calls using voice commands
Anyway, some users are reporting a bug where Android Auto is unable to understand the name of the contact said using voice commands. This is happening with names that Android Auto previously understood easily. Now, affected users are only getting a “Sorry, who do you want to call?” error message as a response to their commands, even with simple names.
So, if people want to make a call, they have to manually search the contact list. If you’re behind the wheel, that kind of distraction can be quite risky. According to reports, the problems started after a recent Android Auto app update. Also, the bug seems to only affect the calling function. Apparently, Android Auto isn’t having the same problem when sending messages. In those cases, it’s still able to understand names as well as ever.
Those affected tried clearing the Android Auto app cache or even reinstalling it, but nothing worked. It’s possible that installing an older version of the Android Auto app will help resolve the issue. However, that won’t work if it is a server-side bug (not confirmed), although you can try. Fortunately, a member of the Android Auto dev team responded to the reports a few hours ago, asking for more info. So, hopefully a fix is already in development and won’t take long to arrive.