11 Ways to Fix Waze Not Working on Android Auto

Waze not working on Android Auto is a common problem that can manifest as missing icon, app not launching, or a non-responsive, blank screen.

This page covers all of the tested and proven solutions for how to fix it when Waze isn’t working on Android Auto, in addition to some tips for how to stop the problem from happening in the future.

Why Waze is Not Working With Android Auto

Here are some possible reasons why Waze isn’t working with Android Auto:

• A poor internet connection

• Compatibility issue between Waze and your car’s infotainment system

• Waze is restricted from running in the background

• Incorrect settings in the Waze app or Android Auto.

• A bug in the Android Auto app

• The app cache has become corrupted

How to Fix Waze Not Working on Android Auto

Here are the best solutions for how to fix Waze not working on Android Auto:

1. Check your phone’s Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The quickest way to do this is to open another app that needs an internet connection.

To troubleshoot the connection issues, you can switch between Wi-Fi and cellular connection and toggle airplane mode ON and OFF.

2. Restart your Android device. This can often clear up minor software glitches that may be causing problems with Waze.

3. Park your car and restart it by turning the ignition off and on. Or, if you can’t do that, some infotainment systems can be restarted by pressing and holding the infotainment’s power button.

This is a recommended step to take, especially if you’re encountering this error.

4. Open Android Auto from your car. It’s possible for your phone to be plugged into your car and everything else running correctly, but Android Auto hasn’t been triggered. It must be turned on for your phone to put Waze on your car’s display.

For example, with your phone plugged in, you might see an Android Auto button on your car’s head unit. Tap it to load the Waze icon and icons for all your other Android Auto apps.

5. Check to make sure your vehicle and your car stereo are compatible with Android Audio. The Android auto compatibility page will help you find out if your specific car and stereo are compatible. If they are not, there’s nothing you can do to get Waze working on Android Auto in your vehicle.

6. Add Waze to Android Auto if it’s not showing up as an option in your car. You shouldn’t need to do this because it happens automatically once Waze is installed on your phone. However, it’s possible to hide apps from displaying in Android Auto, which might be why Waze isn’t showing up in your car.

7. Turn off battery optimization to fix things like buffering issues and unresponsive screens.

Here’s how to stop restricting Waze’s battery usage on a Google Pixel: Go to Settings > Apps > Waze > App battery usage, then tap Optimized. If that doesn’t help, return to that final screen and select Unrestricted instead.

8. Enable autostart for Waze. This will allow the Waze app to start automatically when you connect your Android device to your car. To enable autostart for Waze, go to Settings > Apps > Waze > Autostart.

9. Update your Android apps and update the Android OS. If a known bug prevents Waze from working correctly with your car, there’s a good chance an app update or operating system update will fix it.

10. Clear the cache for the Android Auto app and the Waze app. Deleting an app’s cache clears away potentially corrupted temporary files that could be to blame for Waze not working with Android Auto.

11. Uninstall and reinstall the Waze app. If nothing else has worked to this point, take the time to completely uninstall Waze from your Android phone. Then reinstall the Waze app from Google Play Store.