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Android Auto bug pauses music when opening any app on connected phone for some users

Some Android Auto users have encountered a strange bug while using the platform recently. For reasons unclear, music playback is going on pause when opening any app on the phone that’s powering the Android Auto UI.

Google’s Android Auto is designed to discourage users from picking up their phones while driving by putting most important functions on the car’s display, but it doesn’t entirely block the apps on your device from functioning, should you need them.

Over the past couple of months, though, a strange issue has popped up and affected some users that messes with music playback. Some affected users reported the behavior on Google’s support forums where they explained that opening any app on their smartphone while running Android Auto would cause music to pause until they closed the app. Reports have mainly come up in March and April 2021, but some users claim they’ve been experiencing the issue for longer, as far back as December 2020.

Unfortunately, we don’t know what the cause of this issue is just yet. Android Auto shouldn’t pause music playback when you open an app on the device, but Google hasn’t come out with an explanation on what’s going on or any promises for a fix. One member of the Android Auto team did acknowledge the thread, though. Reports of the issue have lessened in recent weeks, which could hint that the latest Android Auto app updates have addressed the problem.

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