Android Auto Users Begging for Emergency Update As Popular App Hits a Black Screen

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Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution

It’s never easy to be an Android Auto user, as features and apps in this world sometimes break down without you touching anything.

This is what Android Auto users claim is happening right now with Everand, a popular eBook and audiobook application with over 10 million downloads and a 4.7-star rating on the Google Play Store.

Everand’s Android Auto support allows users to listen to audiobooks while they drive, and the application comes with the typical playback interface to let users control playback. However, starting in late August, this feature is broken, and users claim that the only thing they see is a black screen with no option.

The playback still works, so the audiobook plays in the background, but the screen turns black whenever Everand starts playing content. The blank display means users can’t interact with anything on the screen, and many are tempted to pick up their phones and control the app from the mobile version.

You can imagine that this is a big no-no, as looking at and using the phone while driving is dangerous, and this is why an emergency update is now required to fix Everand on Android Auto.

However, Google doesn’t seem to be the culprit in this case. While the search giant is often responsible for the vast majority of bugs in the Android Auto world, the glitch hitting the audiobook player is likely caused by a recent Everand update. Users claim they have already contacted the developer team, but despite receiving instructions on how to fix the glitch, they couldn’t return the app to the expected behavior.

Users have also tried the typical workarounds in the Android Auto world, including clearing the cache and removing the data of both apps, but nothing worked. The blank screen is still a thing, so an emergency update is now required to fix the app.

Someone says that the latest Everand update resolves the glitch, but others claim they don’t see any difference, as the app is still broken when Android Auto is connected. The only option to continue listening to audiobooks is to control the app from the mobile device, though playing and pausing the playback during the drive is a major pain in the neck and is unsafe.

Meanwhile, Google continues its work on improving and polishing the experience with Android Auto, and the latest updates include evidence that more big features are in the works. The search giant is already developing support for listening to radio stations in Android Auto, and version 12.8 comes with code for another long overdue feature: support for playing local media. Users will be able to listen to their favorite tunes from USB drives plugged into the head unit, though Google has remained tight-lipped as to when it intends to release this feature to users.