Android Auto 15.2 breaks Quick Controls on vertical displays

Google's Android Auto 15.2 update, first distributed late last month and rolling out more widely this October, has left a core interface element unusable for many drivers: the Quick Controls widget. Users reported that enabling Quick Controls no longer moves the taskbar to the bottom of vertically oriented displays or shows the media and navigation controls as expected, effectively disabling the feature on those screen layouts across a range of vehicles and phone brands. Google says it is investigating.

Quick Controls is a taskbar widget intended to let drivers adjust media playback or view navigation directions without reopening the active app. Since Android Auto moved to a dashboard-style layout, the space previously used by Quick Controls was repurposed for app shortcuts while users retained the option to re-enable the widget through settings. With version 15.2, however, that toggle does not produce the same behavior on vertically oriented taskbars. The widget continues to function on horizontal taskbar displays, indicating the problem is limited to specific screen formats.

User complaints first appeared in late September and have increased as the update expanded. One...