Reports pointing to this glitch are slowly increasing, presumably as a faulty update is installed on more devices. However, it’s still unclear whether a specific Android Auto version causes the whole thing or if the bug resides in an operating system update.
User reports online indicate that phones disconnect from the car randomly and frequently, sometimes twice or thrice in a single minute. However, the disconnecting occurs only partially as Android Auto continues to run on the screen.
In other words, the connection between the phone and the head unit is still active. The only part affected by the glitch is the Bluetooth connection used by Android Auto to route phone calls to the car’s speakers.
The error message typically reads something like “the mobile device has been disconnected from Handsfree phone (HFP).” No other specifics are provided, but the audio is routed from the car speakers to the phone when the error occurs during a phone call. It’s not hard to understand why this is such a major annoyance, but the bigger problem is that sending the call back to the stereo system in the cabin isn’t possible immediately.
Tapping the call audio output options only returns two options, the phone and the integrated speaker, presumably as the Bluetooth connection isn’t re-established instantly.
Most users claim a recent Android Auto update introduced the bug, though nobody could indicate a specific version responsible for the whole thing. However, the error seems to mostly impact cars in the Volkswagen Group and equipped with the MIB3 infotainment system.
Unfortunately, phone calls aren’t the only ones affected by this annoying bug. When the error message appears, it eats up the upper part of the screen, so whatever Android Auto displays on the screen is only partially visible. In the case of Google Maps navigation, for instance, drivers lose the next-turn guidance. Considering the error sometimes returns several times in just a few minutes, it turns the navigation experience into a thing most drivers would avoid.
Users couldn’t find a workaround, though someone says they managed to fix the error by starting from scratch with Android Auto. They removed everything from both the phone and the head unit, including the Bluetooth profiles created by Android Auto. However, this solution doesn’t work for all users, so an emergency fix from Google is mandatory. The company has so far remained tight-lipped on the glitch.
