If there’s one clear company that’s losing the infotainment wars at the moment, it’s Apple with its CarPlay system. In fact, Android Automotive OS, which is entirely different from Android Auto, is rapidly gaining traction with some of the world’s largest automakers. However, in doing so, it’s left Android Auto itself to flounder. As the more open option of the two infotainment titans, Android Auto earns some good marks for its wide applicability, but that same feature also causes it to lose favor with some users. Additionally, it might be worse than Apple CarPlay in one key category, and that’s one thing users don’t want to compromise on in 2026.
Worse connectivity reliability than Apple CarPlay
The one thing holding Android Auto back across all platforms
Perhaps the biggest complaint I hear from users about Android Auto is its unreliable wireless connectivity. CarPlay has its own issues here, don’t get me wrong, but Android Auto might be even worse in this respect. Most vehicles now come standard with wireless connectivity, but it still doesn’t always work. In fact, this is the very reason that I begrudgingly chose to use CarPlay in my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas rather than Android Auto with my work phone.
You might say, ‘But Tanner, why don’t you just use a wired connection?’ To which I will inevitably respond, “I paid for wireless connectivity, and I’m going to use wireless connectivity.” It shouldn’t feel like pulling my teeth for a car’s features to work as intended, but nonetheless, here we are. One thing is for certain, though: if Android Auto fixed the constant disconnects, I would happily make the switch.
An open but fragmented ecosystem
There’s a price to pay for being the world’s easiest option
Perhaps the most frustrating part of Android Auto is that it works flawlessly for some and horribly for others, even when they both have brand-new phones. Android is obviously the more popular OS for those outside of the Apple ecosystem, and is used by various brands across the country and world. The price, though, is that numerous compatibility problems arise with each update across models and different technologies.
A setup that works fine on a Pixel may be horrendously flawed on a Samsung, Motorola, or OnePlus. This is largely because different brands from different companies, from the phone to the infotainment system itself, may not work as well together as others. That’s infuriating for drivers, and rightfully so. Again, if you’re paying a substantial amount of money for something, you’d ideally like all its features to work correctly.
Stability issues are infuriating
No one enjoys a laggy display, especially in a car
A laggy User Interface can stunt anyone’s opinion of a platform, no matter its manufacturer, and Android Auto is one of the biggest transgressors in that respect. All the features are wonderful, but you have to get to said features without ticking off the user, and far too often, that isn’t the reality. This is especially common on mid-range phones, which simply don’t have the quality-control capacity to keep up with the demand of Android Auto and everything else at the same time. This reminds me of another issue.
Android Auto is a far more resource-intensive platform than CarPlay, and as a result, older Android phones with heavier skins simply can’t keep up with the demands Android Auto places on the user’s device. This leads to the lag we all know and hate, along with apps crashing mid-use, delayed audio prompts, and so on. At this point, we all know the reality of engineered obsolescence, but nobody should have to trade in a relatively new phone just because it can’t handle Android Auto.
Features change seemingly by the day
It’s good that devs are always tooling away, but it can hurt the end product
I, for one, love that the devs behind Android Auto are so apt about shaking up the platform, bringing new features, and making it more user-friendly. That said, they often miss the mark with the UI, and sweeping changes are made that either hide or eliminate features many drivers find useful.
Users seem to constantly complain about changes to button placement, different navigation layouts, and features quietly being deprecated. This leads the end user to feel unstable when using Android Auto. They don’t know what’s next, when it will arrive, or how to navigate these changes when they do. Some features need changing on a routine basis. However, nobody knows what does and doesn’t have staying power unless it…well…stays.
Android Auto is both incredibly powerful and flexible, but it comes with a price for that openness. When everything is synced up and working well, it’s a flawless infotainment option. However, when it’s not, it becomes a nightmarish experience that just drives users to CarPlay or other options entirely.
