The latest Android Auto update adds a diagnostic feature that checks if your USB cable or port isn't working as expected, according to former XDA Developers editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman. As he announced on Twitter, if your phone isn't connecting to your car, the new diagnostic tool can help you identify if the USB connection is the problem.
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In the images shown by Rahman, the tool, which appears to be called “USB Startup Diagnostics,” will check if a USB cable is connected and check the quality of the cable. On a support page, Google recommends connecting to your car with the cable that came with your phone or a cable that is less than a meter long and not “using USB hubs or extension cables.”
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However, getting the right cable can't always be that easy. USB cables can vary greatly in quality, meaning it can be difficult to know which ones have the right specs to support Android Auto. And you might not be able to assume that the cable that came with your phone will work with Android Auto, as most newer phones have USB-C, but not many cars have USB-C ports. Hopefully, this diagnostic tool makes it easier to know if you need to buy a different cable.
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Rahman says the tool is available in Android Auto 7.5.121104, so if you don’t have that version yet, you might want to check to see if an update is available. In an email to Twitter, Rahman noted that if you have the feature, you can find it in Android Auto settings > Connection assistance > USB boot diagnostics. It’s worth noting that Google will be rolling out the features gradually, so if you don’t see the diagnostic tool on your device yet, you might just have to wait until it becomes available.
