Android Auto’s missing signal bars are coming back

Android Auto may soon fix a small but annoying problem for its users. The mobile network signal bars, which show how strong your phone’s network is, are starting to come back for some users.

The signal bars disappeared from Android Auto for some people earlier this year. The problem did not affect important features. Phone calls, mobile data, and navigation continued to work normally. However, the missing bars were still frustrating, especially when driving through areas with weak network coverage.

Now, the signal bars appear to be returning with Android Auto version 17.8.1638. This version is currently being tested as a beta update.

Some users on Reddit have reported that the signal bars returned after installing the Android Auto 17.8 beta. The bars now appear next to the battery icon on the dashboard. Some users may also need to clear the Android Auto app cache after installing the update. This may help the signal bars appear again.

Image via Reddit

However, the fix is not available to everyone yet. Android Auto 17.8.1638 is still a beta version, so users on the stable version may have to wait for a future update.

The rollout also seems to be different for different users. Some beta testers said the signal bars returned, disappeared again, and later came back. This happened even though their Android Auto version number stayed the same.

This may mean Google is also making changes on its servers to fix the problem. Google has not officially confirmed this yet. For now, users who are missing the signal bars may need to wait until the fix reaches the stable version of Android Auto.