Hi,
I have a 2024 Toyota BZ4x and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phone. Android Auto is great, when it works - I use it to listen to Audible on roadtrips and prefer Google Maps to the native Toyota navigation system. Hands free phone and access to contacts is also important.
Sometimes when I get in the car, the Android Auto app links seamlessly with the car immediately via bluetooth. At other times (and perhaps increasingly with time??), it loads the Toyota system and when I tap on the gear wheel on the car's infoscreen, go to Bluetooth Devices, and then tap on Use Android Auto, the system wheel spins for a while and then says something to the effect of "can't connect, use a USB cord". Maybe I need to explore using USB cord more, but if memory serves, that isn't an instant solution either.
This happened a few days ago at 5am as I was sitting in my driveway for maybe 10 minutes trying to connect so that I could get on the freeway for a 180 mile drive, aware that as each moment passed, morning rush hour traffic was building. First question - is this an Android issue or a Toyota issue? Second question - is that the wrong question? Maybe it's both. Third question - how do I solve this puzzle?
Whenever this happens, the first thing I do is check to see if my phone is paired with my car in the Bluetooth settings and usually it shows that it is already listed as "Paired". Nonetheless, I will turn Bluetooth off and back on and then attempt again to connect by tapping on the Toyota screen "Connect to Android Auto" (forgetting exact language). Often/Usually, the connection fails and I get the same message "can't connect now...."
Then I will either turn of the phone or the car or both, sometimes in sequence, sometimes simultaneously. Then I repeat the connection steps on the car's infotainment screen. Often the connection still fails.
On this particular occasion, I noticed that my phone's Bluetooth was paired to about 7 or 8 different devices, or at least they were listed as Paired. All of the other paired items are inside my home, not in the car (e.g. earbuds, TV, other phones, a camera), I started removing those from the paired list thinking maybe there was a conflict in the phone. It will be a hassle to reconnect them all, so I did not remove all of them. In any case, that didn't solve the problem.
I went through this again yesterday. Trying to get back on the freeway from Portland to Seattle late in the day, facing a long drive, wanting to get going. But I had to pull over for 10 minutes going through this confusing scenario again.
My phone is inside a plastic case - is that interfering with Bluetooth? But sometimes the car audio system will spontaneously start playing Audible when my phone is inside my house and the car is out in the driveway. Therefore, logically, signal strength shouldn't be the problem then. Sometimes I try holding the phone in different areas of the dash, wondering if there is a sweet spot.
And then Android Auto will suddenly magically appear on the screen, as if to say, "hello, I am awake now, you need me?" like a child who has difficulty waking up for school in the morning. And I have no idea how I suddenly succeeded at connecting.
p.s. I just checked to see if I have the latest version of the app running and I do. Someone said on the Toyota forum that I need to try turning off the WiFi controls on the phone. I think I've done that in the past, but can't remember now if it helped.
Any insights appreciated! Thank you.
I have a 2024 Toyota BZ4x and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phone. Android Auto is great, when it works - I use it to listen to Audible on roadtrips and prefer Google Maps to the native Toyota navigation system. Hands free phone and access to contacts is also important.
Sometimes when I get in the car, the Android Auto app links seamlessly with the car immediately via bluetooth. At other times (and perhaps increasingly with time??), it loads the Toyota system and when I tap on the gear wheel on the car's infoscreen, go to Bluetooth Devices, and then tap on Use Android Auto, the system wheel spins for a while and then says something to the effect of "can't connect, use a USB cord". Maybe I need to explore using USB cord more, but if memory serves, that isn't an instant solution either.
This happened a few days ago at 5am as I was sitting in my driveway for maybe 10 minutes trying to connect so that I could get on the freeway for a 180 mile drive, aware that as each moment passed, morning rush hour traffic was building. First question - is this an Android issue or a Toyota issue? Second question - is that the wrong question? Maybe it's both. Third question - how do I solve this puzzle?
Whenever this happens, the first thing I do is check to see if my phone is paired with my car in the Bluetooth settings and usually it shows that it is already listed as "Paired". Nonetheless, I will turn Bluetooth off and back on and then attempt again to connect by tapping on the Toyota screen "Connect to Android Auto" (forgetting exact language). Often/Usually, the connection fails and I get the same message "can't connect now...."
Then I will either turn of the phone or the car or both, sometimes in sequence, sometimes simultaneously. Then I repeat the connection steps on the car's infotainment screen. Often the connection still fails.
On this particular occasion, I noticed that my phone's Bluetooth was paired to about 7 or 8 different devices, or at least they were listed as Paired. All of the other paired items are inside my home, not in the car (e.g. earbuds, TV, other phones, a camera), I started removing those from the paired list thinking maybe there was a conflict in the phone. It will be a hassle to reconnect them all, so I did not remove all of them. In any case, that didn't solve the problem.
I went through this again yesterday. Trying to get back on the freeway from Portland to Seattle late in the day, facing a long drive, wanting to get going. But I had to pull over for 10 minutes going through this confusing scenario again.
My phone is inside a plastic case - is that interfering with Bluetooth? But sometimes the car audio system will spontaneously start playing Audible when my phone is inside my house and the car is out in the driveway. Therefore, logically, signal strength shouldn't be the problem then. Sometimes I try holding the phone in different areas of the dash, wondering if there is a sweet spot.
And then Android Auto will suddenly magically appear on the screen, as if to say, "hello, I am awake now, you need me?" like a child who has difficulty waking up for school in the morning. And I have no idea how I suddenly succeeded at connecting.
p.s. I just checked to see if I have the latest version of the app running and I do. Someone said on the Toyota forum that I need to try turning off the WiFi controls on the phone. I think I've done that in the past, but can't remember now if it helped.
Any insights appreciated! Thank you.
Last edited:
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