Android Auto lets you connect your Android phone to your vehicle’s head unit either via USB cable or wirelessly. Wireless Android Auto is super convenient because your phone just automatically links up as soon as you get in the car. But one of the main issues with Wireless Android Auto is the frequent disconnection from the vehicle’s infotainment system.
ALSO READ: Make Your Own Low-Cost Wireless Android Auto Dongle Using Raspberry Pi
Android Auto wireless connection keeps disconnecting is an annoying issue, especially if you rely on it for navigation. It interrupts things like your navigation directions and music playback. This guide will show you how to fix the issue, but the solutions are only temporary.
Before we get into the fixes, let’s go over how wireless Android Auto actually connects your car in the first place.
Contents
How Does Wireless Android Auto Connects to Your Car?
Android Auto lets you connect your Android phone to your car’s infotainment system via a USB cable or wirelessly. The newest vehicles have support for Wireless Android Auto. You can also use a Wireless AA adapter/dongle to connect your phone wirelessly, if your car does not have Wireless Android Auto feature.
Using a USB cable – In this case, you connect your phone to the car using a USB cable. You still need Bluetooth for making phone calls, but other data like music, Maps data, etc. is transferred through the wired USB connection.
Wirelessly – In this case, you connect your phone to the car’s system via Wi-Fi. You still need Bluetooth for phone calls, but other data like music, Maps, etc. is transferred wirelessly using Wi-Fi Direct.
Reasons for Wireless Android Auto Frequent Disconnection Issue
The main reason for Wireless Android Auto disconnecting is often due to a loss of mobile data connectivity. This can occur even when the mobile device is within the signal range of a cellular network.
The main culprit here is the Wi-Fi scan throttling feature of latest Android devices. Wi-Fi scan throttling is introduced to saves battery on Android devices, but it can interfere with the Wi-Fi Direct connection that Wireless AA relies on.
How to Fix Wireless Android Auto Frequent Disconnection Issues?
1. First, enable Developer Options on your Android phone. To do so, go to Settings > Build Number > and tap Software Version multiple times (the procedure varies by phone model)
2. Once the Developer Options is enabled, you can find it under the “System” menu in the Settings.
3. In the Developer Options, scroll down and look for the “Wi-Fi scan throttling” option under the “Network” section.
4. Turn off the “Wi-Fi scan throttling” option.
Turning off the “Wi-Fi scan throttling” feature on your Android phone will help improve the Wi-Fi connection between your phone and your car’s infotainment system (the head unit). This can make the Wi-Fi Direct communication between them more consistent. However, turning off this feature may also increase the battery consumption on your phone.
What is Wi-Fi Scan Throttling, And What Will Happen if You Turn it Off?
The “Wi-Fi scan throttling” feature on your Android phone limits how often apps can scan for available Wi-Fi networks. This includes both apps you’ve installed, and system features built into your phone.
The throttling works like this:
- Foreground apps (apps you’re actively using) can only run 4 WiFi scans every 2 minutes.
- Background apps (apps running in the background) can only run 1 WiFi scan every 30 minutes.
This throttling is done to help improve your phone’s battery life and connectivity. However, if you have in need of a good Wi-Fi connection, for example, to fix the Wireless Android Auto frequent disconnection issue, it’s safe to turn off this “Wi-Fi scan throttling” feature, though it will slightly increase the battery consumption.
