10 Fixes for Android Auto Not Playing Music From Spotify or YouTube Music

It’s 9.30 PM. You’re leaving work. The traffic is heavy. All you want is to hear melodious music over the chaotic traffic noises. You ask Google Assistant to play a song, but your audio system fails. Don’t worry! We have you covered with these ways to fix Android Auto not playing music.

Android Auto offers more features than Apple CarPlay but is often unstable, leading to frequent disconnections and issues with music playback. However, there are similar fixes for these problems. Here’s how to resolve sound issues with Android Auto.

1. Check Your Car Stereo’s Volume Level

If you want to listen to music, you need to ensure that your car’s head unit volume is above zero. Sometimes we forget simple solutions like this when in a hurry.

If you haven’t turned up the volume knob in your car yet, do it now and enjoy audio from Android Auto. Also, make sure to toggle off the mute button if your car has one.

2. Change the Default Music Streaming Service

If you have a Spotify subscription but use Apple Music as your default music streaming app, Android Auto may not be able to play the music you request. To fix this issue, you need to set a default music streaming service. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your Android device and go to Connected devices.

To review Step 2, tap Connection preferences, then select Android Auto.

Step 3: Choose the Customize launcher option.

Step 4: Uncheck unused music players and only select services to which you have a subscription.

Restart Android Auto to restore your music.

3. Turn Off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and Back On

Your smartphone connects to your car’s head unit via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, enabling Android Auto. If you can’t play music or the audio isn’t working with Android Auto, toggling the connectivity settings off and on might help.

Follow these steps to resolve the issue:

1. Pull down the notification bar on your Android phone to access the quick toggles.

2. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

3. Wait a few seconds, then turn them back on.

Your phone will automatically reconnect to your car’s music system. Test it by playing music to check if the audio has been restored.

When in doubt, restart. Android Auto may not have sound due to a connection issue with your phone. If turning Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on and off didn’t resolve the problem, try restarting your phone.

Any connection issue between your phone and car hindering Android Auto playing music could vanish with a restart.

5. Restart Your Car’s Android Auto Head Unit

Restarting your phone didn’t help? It’s time to restart your Android Auto head unit. Most issues with Android Auto not working are related to your smartphone itself, but there are times when your car’s infotainment system may not function properly. It may freeze or stop responding, causing Android Auto to not play through the car speakers. To fix this, restart your car’s head unit by turning off the ignition and waiting for it to turn off automatically. Then, restart your car and let the infotainment system turn back on. Connect your phone again and you shouldn’t have any issues with Android Auto audio.

6. Use Wired Android Auto Instead of Wireless

There’s a chance that your smartphone cannot establish a stable wireless connection with your car’s stereo system. In such a case, you may encounter that sound is not working on wireless Android Auto. To rule out the possibility of an error related to wireless Android Auto on your phone, try connecting it to the car via a USB cable.

If Android Auto works via the wired method, you must pair your smartphone again to your car via Bluetooth for wireless Android Auto to work. Refer to the final solution in this article for detailed info on how to do it.

7. Use a Good Quality USB Cable

Any troubleshooting for Android Auto must include using a good USB cable. Not all USB cables are the same, and some are only meant for charging and not data transfer. These types of cables may be the reason why Android Auto music does not play in your car.

Use a high-quality USB cable, preferably one made by your smartphone manufacturer. If you are using a third-party cable, ensure that it supports data transfer as cables made only for charging do not work with Android Auto. You can consider using some of the recommended USB-C cables for a seamless Android Auto experience.

8. Clear the Cache of the Android Auto App

Clearing the cache of a malfunctioning app often solves the issue on most Android devices. If the sound on Android Auto isn’t working, you can try clearing the cache. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your smartphone and go to the Apps section.

Step 2: Tap ‘See all apps.’

Scroll down and select Android Auto to bring up the app options.

Step 4: Choose the ‘Storage and cache’ option.

Step 5: Tap Clear Cache.

Connect your phone to Android Auto again to resolve the issue.

9. Update Android Auto From the Play Store

Sometimes, an outdated Android Auto app could be causing sound problems. Or, a malfunctioning version of the app may be causing a glitch on some devices. The best solution is to update the app from the Google Play Store. This is also helpful if third-party apps like Spotify are not working on Android Auto since a new version may improve compatibility.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and go to the Apps section.

Step 2: Tap ‘See all apps.’

Step 3: Scroll down and select Android Auto. This brings up the app preferences.

Step 4: Go to the bottom of the screen and tap on App details under Store.

Step 5: Go to the app page on Play Store. If there’s an update available, tap Update.

10. Forget the Connected Car and Pair It Back

The Android Auto app allows you to disconnect your smartphone from your car. This unpairs your smartphone from the car’s head unit. You can then pair your phone with the car’s infotainment system to establish a connection. Here’s how: Step 1: Open the Settings app on your smartphone and go to the Connected devices section.

Step 2: Tap on Connection preferences. Select Android Auto

Step 3: Go to Android Auto settings and tap on ‘Previously connected cars’.

Step 4: Select the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the screen.

Step 5: Tap ‘Forget all cars’.

Step 6: Return to the previous menu and choose ‘Connect a car.’ Follow the on-screen instructions to link your phone to your car’s head unit.

Blast Your Music at Full Volume

Driving without music can be boring, especially on long road trips when Android Auto stops playing music. To resolve this, follow the steps above. Make sure you are parked and safe before proceeding.