If they disappear from the launcher without warning, there is an easy way to bring them back.
Android Auto is designed to make driving safer and more connected, by providing easy access to essential tools like navigation, music and messaging right on your car’s screen. Some 250 million people use Android Auto, making it a reliable part of the daily commute for a large portion of the world’s population. The platform is of course not without its quirks, and one of the most common problems users encounter is apps disappearing from the launcher without warning.
Fortunately, these problems are quite easy to fix. In most cases, a missing app is not permanently lost. It was quietly disabled by your phone’s battery optimization settings running in the background. Likewise, hiding an app on Android Auto doesn’t require any work on your part, since you can simply fix it through your device settings.
Whether you’re trying to find an app that’s gone missing or want to hide a few that you don’t actually use, there are just a few steps to follow.
Why don’t some apps appear in Android Auto?
Missing apps are one of the most common frustrations Android Auto users encounter, but it doesn’t always depend on Android Auto itself. On Samsung phones, in particular, Android has a feature that automatically turns off unused apps. This feature automatically turns off apps you haven’t opened recently to save battery life. Apps are still on your phone, but if they’re turned off, they’re also removed from Android Auto’s app launcher until they’re turned back on.
So if an app you previously used in Android Auto has disappeared, there’s a good chance it was simply disabled by your phone.
How to Make Apps Visible in Android Auto Again
Recovering a hidden app on your car screen is quite simple. Here’s what you need to do:
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Find the app on your phone and throw it. You may need to update it first, if one exists.
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Reconnect to Android Auto. The next time you open the app launcher in Android Auto, the app should be visible again.
Actually, that’s it: no settings menu, no reinstallation or anything. Opening the app signals Android that it’s active again, restoring it to the Android launcher.
How to stop apps from disappearing automatically
The easiest way to ensure apps don’t disappear from your Android Auto launcher is to use them. Of course, if you get out of the habit of listening to audiobooks, for example, it’s natural for the app to simply go into hibernation. It’s actually easier to stop Android from automatically disabling your apps with a simple tweak:
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Open your phone Settings.
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Go to Battery (or Battery and Device Care), then Background Usage Limits and search Automatically turn off unused apps Or put unused apps to sleep.
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Disable the setting.
How to customize Android Auto
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One of the things you can do to improve your Android Auto experience is to clean up the apps that appear on the screen.
You can do this on your car’s Android Auto screen by going to Settings > Connected devices > Android Auto > Customize launcher and check the boxes for the apps you want to see and uncheck the ones you don’t really use.
Why aren’t all phone apps showing on Android Auto? Well, one important thing to keep in mind is that not all apps are actually compatible with Android Auto. Only those designed to work with the platform will appear in the launcher menu. So you won’t be able to find games or Netflix there for example, but you will most certainly find messaging applications, Google Maps and Spotify there.
How to hide apps in Android Auto
Android Auto doesn’t have a dedicated “Hide App” feature in its interface, so you can’t long-press an app icon on your car’s screen to delete it like you can on a phone.
That said, you control what appears in the launcher. The best way to do this is to simply customize the Android Auto launcher and decide which apps show and which don’t. You will just have to retrace the same steps mentioned above to move apps in and out.
Whether you’re using a wired version of Android Auto or have opted for the wireless version, the infotainment system can be extremely useful when navigating around town. There’s so much to do with the platform, especially if you dive into Android Auto’s developer menu and tweak it to your liking.
