TL;DR Some Android Auto users report Google Maps losing the car icon when switching back to split-screen mode.
Navigation still works, but the car marker disappears until Maps is force-closed on the phone.
Several users say switching back to the default blue arrow icon may stop the issue, at least for now.
Like many people, I like to replace the blue arrow with a car avatar when navigating with Google Maps. It’s just a bit of fun customization because you don’t really need any icon at all — you know that your position is anchored at the bottom-center of the navigation screen. Still, it’s familiar to have my position marked in this fun way, so I can imagine it must have been strange for some users who have recently seen the car icon vanish completely when using Google Maps on Android Auto.
Have you ever experienced a UI bug on Google Maps on Android Auto? 232 votes Yes, more often than I can count. 34 % Yes, but infrequently. 30 % No, but I have experienced bugs on other Android Auto mapping apps. 9 % No, Google Maps runs flawlessly for me on Android Auto. 26 %
The issue popped up in a recent Reddit thread on r/AndroidAuto, where one user described a repeatable bug: if the media player is in full-screen and they switch back to split view, the car icon simply disappears. Navigation still works, but there’s no visual indicator of the car’s actual location. Force-quitting Maps on the phone brings the icon back for the user, but only until the next time it happens.
Reddit A Reddit user shared this image of his Android Auto screen, with the car icon missing on Maps.
Judging by the replies, this isn’t an isolated case. Users across different cars, head units, phones, and Android versions have chimed in to say they’re seeing the same thing. Versions mentioned range from Android Auto 15.9 through 16.1, with at least one commenter saying an update to 16.0.66 fixed it for them, while others on newer builds say the bug is still very much alive.
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