Android Auto Phone as display, Bluetooth controls not working

[metallijim]

Plan

Premium

Country

United Kingdom

Device

Xiaomi Mi8, Pixel 4a (5G)

Operating System

Android 10, Android 11

My Question or Issue

On my previous and new phone, the Bluetooth controls will not work, only volume. Play/pause, skip forward and back will not work while using the Android Auto interface. This is NOT the Android Auto head unit interface, this is the one on the PHONE itself. This has been an issue since early December 2020. It has been reported in a few tech articles, and on Reddit. 

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/fixing-spotifys-bluetooth-problem-on-android-auto-takes-less-than...

Please can this be looked into, as it is clearly less than ideal to poke the phone screen, rather than using physical controls, which are tactile and don't require you to take your eyes off the road as you can feel the buttons.

This is not an Android Auto issue as other players (eg Google podcasts probably more) work fine.

[Novy]

Hey there @metallijim, 

Thanks for reaching out about this in the Community, and welcome 🙂

Would you mind performing a clean reinstall of the app? This is often an overlooked step, but it can be helpful to clear any corrupted files that might be causing issues. 

If this doesn't do the trick, could you let us know the exact Spotify version you're currently running? Also, a video where we can take a better look at this issue would be helpful too. 

Keep us posted.

[metallijim]

Version: 8.5.98.984 (69475048)

I can't post a video, as I do not own another camera.

It would only consist of me pressing the media keys on my Bluetooth adapter and nothing happening in the Spotify app whilst in Android Auto. 

This was a fairly new install, as I have recently purchased this phone less than a week ago. I can't see how a reinstall would help.

[Novy]

Hi @metallijim, 

Thanks for getting back to us. 

Our team is aware of this issue and they're currently working on a fix. Although we can't commit to a specific timeline for when it'll be fixed, we recommend keeping the app updated to ensure optimal performance.

If anything else comes up, we're always a message away.

Cheers!