Google fixed an issue that prevented drivers from dialing 911
Android Auto makes it super easy to power your car’s infotainment system right from your phone, and in some vehicles, it’s built in right from the ground up. Android Automotive lets drivers enter navigation, browse through songs and playlists, and of course, activate Google Assistant, all without the need for an external smartphone. Of course, all of that functionality often brings along the risk for bugs, and with a new update, Google is fixing an issue that prevented some users from voice-calling 911.
Recently, the company discovered a bug that would cause Assistant-enabled emergency calls to stop working — a massive issue for drivers who may need to call 911 as quickly as possible. This problem only affected vehicles with Android built-in — not those users who access Auto through their phone either wirelessly or via a USB cable.
If you drive a car running Android Automotive, it’ll automatically download and install an update to Assistant from the Play Store over the coming days. Google also stresses that calls through the dialer are placed as expected, even without the Assistant update. If you’ve disabled auto-update in your car, make sure you manually download Assistant version 12.0.92.RC13 or higher to ensure you can contact emergency services via voice command.
It’s unclear exactly how many drivers were affected by this bug, though Android Automotive undoubtedly makes up for a much smaller percentage of users than Android Auto as a whole. Still, it’s good to see Google acting quickly to ensure emergency calls are just a voice command away.
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