Android 15 Beta breaks Android Auto for Pixel 9 users

If you choose to run beta software, you're inevitably going to be faced with a few random bugs. One of these random bugs that was discovered recently is leaving Android Auto broken for some Google Pixel 9 owners who have decided to jump on an Android 15 beta.

The Android 15 beta has been ongoing for quite some time now, but the latest updates seem to have done some damage to Android Auto's full functionality. Android Auto is Google's app for cars which allows you to sync your phone with your car and easily use navigation, listen to music, and access other apps from your phone on your car's display.

Now, users have taken it to Reddit and Google's Issue Tracker to report that Android Auto no longer works with the Android 15 Beta on Pixel, and more specifically, on the new Pixel 9 phones.

Users that sport a Pixel 9 or a Pixel 9 Pro XL have reported that Android Auto basically fails to work. In fact, it seems not to work whether you're trying to connect to it wired or wireless. The service disconnects or fails after a few minutes or even seconds.

Luckily, the issue is not present on the stable Android 14 release that the Pixel 9 series comes with out of the box and currently runs. So, it seems the bug is caused by something present in the latest Android 15 beta update. So, if you're encountering the problem, the best bet right now is to revert back to Android 14 (this would require a factory reset so do keep that in mind!).

Most likely Google will fix the problem by the time Android 15 gets its official release to the Pixel 9 series in October. But this shows that if you're running a beta software, you're bound to be greeted by some misbehaving app, even if the beta software is nearly finished. So, better not to run a beta version on your main device.

I personally find that bugs in beta versions aren't surprising at all. Betas are for the inpatient people who really want to get a taste of what's to come, but of course, every beta user knows the risk of encountering annoyances and failing apps. In my opinion, it's best to stick with stable releases, unless you can run a beta on a phone that's not your daily driver.