Android Auto bugs causing broken Spotify controls, washed out display for some

Ben Schoon | Aug 14 2025 - 4:00 am PT

If you’re noticing some issues with your Android Auto experience as of late, you’re not alone, as users are reporting problems with the display looking washed out, as well as the Spotify app having broken controls.

Things have been relatively stable for Android Auto in recent months, but there are two bugs that have recently surfaced. One of those is with Spotify, which has been showing a blank widget on the Android Auto dashboard as of late, while also having some issues with controls. When this happens, the widget appears with a “Tap to Open” message even if music or a podcast is actively playing, and opening the actual Spotify app will show that current media. It’s only the widget that doesn’t work here. In some cases, though, in-car controls are also affected, with skip buttons on the steering wheel and others not working as expected.

We first noticed this problem back in July, around the time that the Spotify update with “Jam” support rolled out, but it’s been pretty consistent since then in the Subaru Forester. But we’ve not been alone there, as quite a few other users noted the same behavior in a Reddit thread earlier this week.

It’s unclear when a fix will be available, but it’s likely going to come from Spotify app updates.

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Meanwhile, another issue has popped up that will likely require a fix from Google. This one involves the display appearing to be washed out or gray in color. Users report that the display lacks its usual dark areas, with anything meant to be black appearing in gray.

We’ve not seen this issue on our end, but there’s a considerable number of users saying they’ve noticed this problem.

As mentioned, this issue will likely require a fix from Google directly. Version numbers for the Android Auto app these users are on weren’t mentioned, so it’s unclear if this is just a faulty update or something broader and coming from a server-side tweak.

Let us know in the comments below if you’ve noticed either of these problems.