GoKawiilShimul Sood / Android Authority
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TL;DR Android Auto’s missing cellular signal bars are starting to return for some users.
The fix appears in Android Auto version 17.8.1638, which is currently a beta build.
Availability is still inconsistent, so stable users may have to wait a little longer.
When you’re driving through a patchy coverage area, those tiny signal bars on the Android Auto dashboard can be surprisingly useful. A quick glance at the dashboard tells you whether your connection is holding up before a call starts breaking up. But for some Android Auto users, that glance has been useless for months because the cellular signal indicator simply disappeared. Now, Android Auto version 17.8.1638 appears to be bringing it back.
The issue surfaced earlier this year, with users reporting that Android Auto had stopped showing their phone’s cellular signal strength. As we noted at the time, the bug was mostly cosmetic, as calls, mobile data, and navigation continued working normally. That didn’t make it any less annoying for drivers who rely on the indicator to know when they’re heading into a dead zone.
The good news? Several users on Reddit are now reporting that the signal bars have returned after updating to Android Auto version 17.8. The indicator now appears again next to the battery status icon. You may have to clear Android Auto’s cache after installing the update to restore the signal bars.
There is one important catch. Android Auto v17.8 is currently a beta build, so stable-channel users shouldn’t expect the fix just yet. Even among beta users, the rollout appears inconsistent. For some, the signal bars initially returned, disappeared again, and then came back after another update, even though the version number stayed the same. That behavior leaves open the possibility of a server-side change, although Google hasn’t confirmed how it’s rolling out the fix.
Still, it’s an encouraging sign after months without the indicator. Android Auto 17.8 is already shaping up to be a busy release, with Google also rolling out the ability to change your Google Maps driving avatar from the dashboard. We’ve also spotted work on richer destination cards with photos and Gemini-powered summaries.
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