Google fixes major voice control issue with Google Maps on Android Auto

Google has rolled out a software update to fix a bug preventing the Google Assistant from understanding navigation commands in Android Auto.

Discovered back in November 2020, the bug made it impossible for some Google users to input a destination address in Android Auto when speaking to the Google Assistant.

Usually, dictating a destination is done by saying “Hey Google, navigate to” when speaking to Google Assistant in the car, but for some users this caused the voice assistant to reply with: “I think you are trying to navigate, is that correct?”

Users then say yes, but receive the same error message when trying to tell the assistant where they want to go.

Google first said it had identified and fixed the problem on 7 May 2021, but users replied to say they were still having issues with speaking to the Assistant within Android Auto.

A couple of weeks later, on 25 May, Google responded to say the issue had once again been resolved. A member of the Android Auto team posted: “The team has addressed this issue and recommended updating your Google app and Android Auto app to the latest version (v6.4) to have a better experience and let us know if the issue still persists.”

This should now have fixed the problem for everyone, and the support forum thread has had no further reports of the issue happening again.

Should anyone still be suffering with an uncooperative Assistant, then Google is expected to be rolling out an Android Auto update in the next few weeks, which should squash any remaining bugs.

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