Users reporting WiFi toggle glitch with newest version of Android Auto

Android Auto is designed to mirror important notifications and features from user’s Android phone to the car’s infotainment system on dashboard. The Android Auto app needs to be installed on the phone and compatible dash unit inside the car has to be paired with it.

A stable update to the app carrying the version number 3.9 started to roll out to users around the beginning of last week. Since then, multiple users started complaining about buggy behaviour with WiFi control.

The bug is pretty straightforward and easy to reproduce. One can configure the app to turn off the WiFi (“Limit Wi-Fi”) when the phone is being connected to the Android Auto unit in the car. While the expected behaviour is to turn the WiFi on after disconnecting, the bug forces it to stay off. As a consequence, users may use mobile data unknowingly.

Android Auto User Community is also flooded with similar reports (example: here, here, here, here).

Since the last update, AA used to turn off or limit wifi usage via the settings and when you disconnect from AA the wifi would come back on. Now with the update the wifi does turn off but not back on like it used to. People could use up there data and not know it once they disconnect.I am on ford sync 3. Please fix. Thanks

(Source)

Same Problem with limit wifi setting. Wifi isn’t aotomatically turned back on when AA is disconnencted.
(Problem with the new Android Auto Version)

Error message: no error

Car / head unit make & model: Seat Leon 5F – Construction Year 2018; Seat MediaSystemPlus

Phone make & model: Galaxy S9 SM-G960F
Android OS: Android 9

Android Auto app version: 3.9.585064

Google Play services version: 14.7.99 (100408-223214910)

Google Maps version: 10.7.2

(Source)

Apparently v3.9.5850 is the buggy app version which is behind all these reports. For ARM64 devices (commonly phones from 2016), the exact version number is 3.9.585064. There are reports about distribution of another app version 3.9.585054 few days ago, which also had similar symptoms.

We can even spot Play Store reviews (example), reporting the bug. Google’s reply is nothing but the generic one:

Hi there. Thanks for your feedback. We’d like to understand the issue better and help troubleshooting. When you have a moment, visit our user community https://goo.gl/uJYCRt and tell us more. You can also check out Android Auto FAQ here: https://goo.gl/viJZW4.

Are you using Android Auto regularly? Encountered the bug? Let us know.

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