Key Takeaways
A bug in WhatsApp for Android Auto users kept Google Assistant from sending messages.
A recent update fixes the problem, so you can once again use WhatsApp hands free with Android Auto.
Google Maps is also getting an update that will allow CarPlay users to submit traffic reports.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay make using your phone in your car less distracting, and you’ll find them in many vehicles, from the Ford F-150 to the Mazda MX-5 Miata. We all want to stay connected, but when you’re the driver, the priority needs to be on driving. Having the ability to use your phone hands free goes a long way to reducing distraction.
While this sounds great, things don’t always work as planned. Some apps can be frustrating, making the temptation to pick up your phone to talk or text hard to resist. Android Auto users faced just such a challenge when WhatsApp stopped sending messages.
Ford
Can You Hear Me Now?
A recent bug made it look like texts were sent in WhatsApp through Google Assistant, but in reality nothing went through. The only way to know this was to look at the physical phone and see that the messages were missing. That or wait for your friend to get frustrated and ask why you weren’t responding.
A new update takes care of the problem, which turns out to be an issue with WhatsApp. Since the bug resides in that app, users will need to make sure they have WhatsApp version 2.24.8.79 installed on their phone. If you have automatic updates installed, then you should already have the update.
Apple
Watch Out for That Pothole
On the Apple CarPlay side of things, it’s not a bug fix but an improvement. Google Maps and Waze are part of the same company, but they don’t have the same features. Waze lets users report incidents from traffic jams to floods to potholes. Google Maps doesn’t currently include that functionality for CarPlay users, but that’s about to change.
A recent Google Maps build shows that the feature is coming to the CarPlay version of the app. An exact date for the rollout of this new feature is unknown, but when it arrives, CarPlay users will likely have the same incident reporting functions that Android Auto users already enjoy.
Apple