Google Maps Missing From Android Auto? Here's The Fix

Google Maps remains the preferred option for most Android Auto users, even though many other apps, including Waze, are getting significantly better in cars where Google’s phone mirroring software is available.

However, like everything in the world of Android Auto, Google Maps can sometimes offer a less than compelling experience, mostly due to bugs that compromise even its most essential features.

The latest mysterious issue, which users say began appearing after an update received in early August, means Google Maps is no longer available on Android Auto.

Most people connect their phones to their cars and wait for Google Maps to automatically launch if they used it the last time they drove, or tap its icon to launch the app. After this mysterious update, neither of these options are available, as Google Maps won’t launch and isn’t available in the app drawer on Android Auto.

Users who have taken to Google's forums say that everything was working fine before this unnamed update in early August, with some saying that launching Google Maps on their mobile devices before connecting them to Android Auto is the only way to use navigation. As you might imagine, this isn't the seamless, convenient experience that users have come to expect from Android Auto, so they're asking Google to issue a fix.

While a Google community specialist, whose account description indicates he is part of the Android Auto team, has already asked for more information about the bug, there is currently no patch available. Users themselves have been looking into the problem and trying to find a solution, and fortunately, someone has discovered a little trick that restores Google Maps to Android Auto.

It looks like this latest update has added Google Maps to the list of apps that are optimized for low battery consumption, so when not in use, the app goes into deep sleep mode. This means the app is suspended, so when you plug your phone into a car to launch Android Auto, it can't restart because the process is already in sleep mode.

The solution is simple, as you just need to set Google Maps to unrestricted power mode. The steps are different depending on your Android brand and model, but you should find the settings in Settings > Apps > Google Maps > Battery. Make sure Google Maps is set to unrestricted mode (or something similar, as the naming may be different depending on your Android version and ROM).

Google hasn’t shared an expected release date for an upcoming Google Maps patch that would fix the bug, and it’s unclear whether the search giant can fix it. The misconfiguration appears to be an operating system bug, so let’s wait for the company to address it and see what can be done to fix this issue. In the meantime, use the steps above to fix the problem yourself.