Google Assistant Is Failing on Android Auto — Here’s Why

Google Assistant hasn’t been updated in over a year and is causing problems for Android Auto and Wear OS! Will Google fix it or fully replace it with Gemini AI?

Google Assistant, which has over a Billion downloads on Android, hasn’t been updated in over a year. This is now causing issues with Android devices still using the Google Assistant; over the newly launched Gemini AI. It’s about Google either release an update to the native assistant app or releases Gemini for platforms like Android Auto, Wear OS, and older smartphones.

As we reported earlier, AI Assistants could come to Cars with Android Auto with Google’s new Gemini AI. While that was just a speculation, it has now been confirmed. Gemini AI is in active development for Android Auto and Wear OS.

However, this does not mean Google should outright stop working on Google Assistant. According to the OS maker, Android Auto is compatible with more than 200 million vehicles—a substantial user base that warrants continued support rather than abandonment. Maintaining assistance for these devices remains critical moving forward.

At that time, we have confirmation that Gemini might replace Google Assistant in the near future. The latest Android Auto beta update has code suggesting that Gemini Live may be implemented into cars soon.

Google Assistant on Android Auto is already Failing Users

Google Assistant has long been touted as a cornerstone of the Android Auto experience, promising seamless voice-controlled navigation, communication, and entertainment. But a recent surge of complaints from Android Auto community paints a different picture.

Users are reporting rampant inconsistencies, misunderstood commands, and outright failures when attempting to perform basic tasks like responding to WhatsApp messages or controlling Spotify.

The problem is Google Assistant’s is outright declining to respond in some cases. Many Android Auto users report that Google Assistant (GA) struggles with voice recognition accuracy, contextual understanding, and response consistency.

One user highlights a recurring issue of GA fails to recognize even straightforward responses. When asked, “Do you want to reply?”, responding with “No” often triggers confusion. GA might respond with, “Sorry, did you want to reply?” despite clearly registering the input.

With recent Android Auto update, the Assistant is often unable to process longer messages. Users attempting to dictate WhatsApp or SMS messages face frequent cutoffs or errors. GA struggles with transcribing multi-sentence replies. Throwing generic error messages like “Oops, something went wrong” or “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

The most frustrating of all is commands like “Play [song name] on Spotify” often result in GA playing unrelated tracks. It also fails to recognize locally stored music. Most of all, it ignores volume adjustments or playlist requests.

Why Is This Happening?

The problem lies majorly in Google’s shift in development priorities towards AI assistants.

With recent shift towards AI development, it is clear that Google has reallocated resources from Assistant to the newer AI project like Gemini, formerly called Bard.

The lack of software updates and compatibility is also another reason for this. The last update for Google Assistant was over a year ago. The recent Google App or Android Auto updates do not correspond to the Assistant.

Google should step in and release an update to Google Assistant, at lease for Android Auto and Wear OS, until the inevitable takeover of AI on all of our devices.

Would you like Gemini AI on your Android Auto?

Let us know in the comments whether Gemini AI should come to Android Auto. Especially after the recent Gemini 2.0 flash update, which can do all the Assistant tasks and is faster than native Google Assistant by miles.