Android Auto not working? Here's what to check first

Chances are there's a connection issue between your phone and car if Android auto isn't working.

Android Auto is a neat way to extend your smartphone to your car's infotainment screen. Maps, messages and more are all accessible once you've hooked up your phone up to your car. The experience is designed to be seamless, so long as your phone and car are actually compatible.

What happens if Android Auto isn't working, though? Well, assuming a rare bug isn't the cause, fixing a faulty Android Auto hookup to your car is a pretty easy process. You don't need to a ton of technical know-how to fix the problem, as one of the more common fixes will likely to be all you need to get it working again.

The weak link between your smartphone and your car is the connection, wireless or wired. For wired users, you can start troubleshooting by checking that your cable is connected properly and free from any damage. If there's no visible problems, the cable or port could still be fried — switch it to another USB port or switch the cable out for a replacement. You don't want to be using a cheap USB cable that's designed for charging for this job, as you'll need one that supports data transfers over USB. This Google guide recommends that you use a cable shorter than six feet and to ditch any cable extensions, too.

If you're using Android Auto wirelessly, you'll need to make sure that both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are switched on . If they are, and it looks like you're connected, then disconnect — you want to force it to make a manual reconnection to your car.

That'll also mean making sure your car is in the right app or menu for Android Auto to connect and become visible, which might mean selecting it on your car's infotainment screen. If you think the car is the problem, you can always rule this out by using another Android phone if you have one spare.

You've already checked the cable (or your wireless connection) and it all looks fine. If that's the case, you'll want to try the three R's: restart your phone , remove the connection entirely and reconnect as if it's new. It's probably uncommon for you to restart your phone, but doing so clears any running processes from your phone's memory, giving you a fresh slate.

Once you've restarted, you'll want to remove the connection and re-pair it as if it's new. The Android settings menu can vary, but the steps will look something like this: open Settings > Connected Devices > Android Auto (or just search for Android Auto in your settings search bar). From there, tap your car and select Forget to remove it. Once this is done, just tap Connect a Vehicle again to hook it up to your car from scratch, making sure you're in the correct menu in your car's infotainment screen to allow you to do this.