Android Auto Gesture Navigation Not Working, How to Fix?

Android Auto is a convenient and popular feature on Android smartphones, allowing your phone to access applications that include navigation, music, calling features, and more on your car’s display screen. If you’re trying to access the Android Auto app on your device, but the gesture navigations are not working, don’t worry, here you’re not alone. Several users found the issue after updating the Android Auto to the December update, followed by the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 build. It can be irritating when you cannot access Android Auto gesture navigations on your smartphone.

Whatever the reason behind the issue, you can easily tackle the problem by attempting the mentioned solutions. If you’re unable to access gesture navigations, worry not. You can try the mentioned workarounds to address the problem. In this article, we’ll provide effective solutions you can attempt on your smartphone to resolve the Android Auto gesture navigation issue. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Page Contents

What Causes Android Auto Gesture Navigation Not Working?
Fix Android Auto Gesture Navigation Not Working Issue
Wrapping Up

What Causes Android Auto Gesture Navigation Not Working?

Android Auto plays a crucial role when you drive a car, and you want to access certain services like navigation and music. On the smartphone, it allows the device to operate certain services that must be prominent for almost every user. But it could be annoying when you cannot access navigation gestures with Android Auto. Well, there are many reasons behind the issue.

Numerous factors affect the functionality of gesture navigation with Android Auto preventing it from functioning correctly. This includes the software and hardware issues.
Here are some main reasons for the gesture navigation not working with Android Auto.

Android Auto App Issue: There’s a chance that the Android Auto app on your device is not functioning properly due to a system bug or glitch, preventing the gesture from working properly. Also, it could be possible that due to a corrupted cache or data, you cannot access gesture navigations with Android Auto.
Software Conflicts & Bugs: Another common reason is the software conflicts or bugs that affect the devices’ services and system settings, preventing certain applications from functioning correctly. This could have happened due to an outdated app version. In case you’re using the oldest version of Android Auto, you may probably encounter certain issues with the app.
Gesture Navigation Settings: Android lets you choose two navigation functions, the button and gesture navigation. To access gesture navigations, then you will need to select it properly. You may haven’t chosen appropriately or due to corrupted data, the navigation gesture isn’t working with Android Auto.
Incorrect User Gesture: In certain situations, the gestures used are not the ones on the device the system recognizes. For such a case, you should choose the correct gestures your system requires.
Interfering Applications: Certain services or applications running in the background on your phone could be interfering with the gesture navigations. For that, you need to stop the background process which prevents the gesture navigation from working.

Fix Android Auto Gesture Navigation Not Working Issue

Whether you’re trying to swipe up to get the Recent option or the app drawer, swiping down to access the notification panel, or even swiping from the screen edges to do a back gesture, all of these seem bugged on the smartphone. If you’re trying to use gesture navigation with Android Auto but it’s not working, then the solutions we have mentioned will help you tackle the problem. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Fix 1: Make Sure You Have Enabled Gesture Navigation

First, you must ensure you have chosen the correct gesture navigation on your device. Every smartphone has a built-in navigation feature allowing you to choose button or gesture navigation according to your suit. However, if gesture navigations are not working with Android Auto, it could be possible that you have not chosen the correct gestures or it could be corrupted. Make sure to choose the correct gesture navigations on your smartphone to check the results. Here’s how to prevent it.

Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
Scroll down and tap on System.
In the System menu, choose the Gestures option.
Then, tap the System navigation.
Choose Gesture navigation from the menu.

If you have already chosen gesture navigation on your smartphone, switch back to 3-button navigation and then back to gesture navigation. This will help you in fixing the Android Auto gesture navigation not working issue.

Note: The steps we have mentioned may vary depending on your Android device. However, if you cannot find the option, search for the “Gesture” option and tap the relevant setting to access the menu.

Fix 2: Close and Re-Open Android Auto

Sometimes, the Android Auto navigation gesture isn’t working due to corrupted data or cache. In such a case, you should close and re-open the Android Auto app to check if it’s working. It’s a simple trick to fix the gesture navigation issue. Simply close the Android Auto app and remove it from the recent taskbar. Wait a few minutes and then launch the app to check if the issue has been resolved. If the problem persists, follow the next solution.

Fix 3: Restart Your Phone

Restarting the device is one of the powerful and effective methods that resolve various issues, whether related to a specific app or software on the smartphone. Typically, it will remove the temporary caches and bugs on the device where users can use the app without interruptions or stuck. This trick is mainly helpful when your device or an app gets stuck.

If Android Auto gesture navigation is not working on your smartphone, consider restarting your smartphone to fix the cache or bugs that usually occur when installing a new software or service. It will help you fix the gesture navigation issue that is not working. Here’s how to perform a restart on Android smartphones:

Hold the Power button (side button) for a few seconds.
A power-off menu will appear on the screen.
Tap on the Restart/Reboot option, and your phone will automatically shut down.
After a moment, your phone will turn back on.

Fix 4: Force Stop the Android Auto App

If restarting the device didn’t help, then you need to force-stop the Android Auto app on your device to check if it’s working. This will help you in fixing the gesture navigation not working issue. Here’s how to force stop the Android Auto app:

Open the Settings app on your phone.
Navigate to the Apps section.
Tap on the “See all apps” option.
From the application lists, find and select Android Auto.
Tap on the Force Stop button at the top right.

Fix 5: Clear Android Auto Cache Data

In certain scenarios, the gesture navigation not working with Android Auto is mainly due to corrupted cache and data. For that, the only thing you need to do is clearing the cache and data of the Android Auto to fix the corrupted cache data. Here’s how you can clear Android Auto cache data:

Open the Settings app on your phone.
Navigate to Apps section.
Tap on “See all apps” option.
From the application lists, find and select Android Auto.
Tap on Storage and cache.
Finally, tap on Clear Cache and you’re done.

Fix 6: Disable Battery Optimization

If you have enabled battery optimization on your smartphone then it may affect with the certain applications and services that stops the services from functioning correctly. But if the Android Auto gesture navigation isn’t working on your device, there is a chance that you have enabled battery optimization. Make sure to disable the option from your settings app in order to resolve navigation gesture not working with Android Auto app.

You’ll find the battery optimization option in the settings menu under the Battery section on the device. In case you’re unable to find the option, simply search on the search bar and it will appear on the screen. From there you can choose the relevant settings. After that, check if the issue has been resolved. If the issue persists, you should follow the next solution.

Fix 7: Update Android Auto App

As per several reports and forums, gesture navigation not working with Android Auto is mainly occurs after installing the December 2023 update. Whether you want to swipe down to get the notification panel or swipe up to access the app drawer or recent bar, or swiping from the screen edges to back the gesture, all of these seems to be not working properly. In such a case, the only thing to do is wait for the next update to fix the issue by developer itself.

The new update fixes the bugs and glitches as well as it improves the performance on the smartphone. With the new update, you will definitely be going to address the problem on your end. Make sure to update Android Auto app to the latest version one the new update comes. Here’s how you can check for the new updates on your device:

Open Google Play Store.
In the search bar, type Android Auto and press Enter.
Choose the Android Auto app and check if an update is available.
Tap the Update button. [If an update is available.]
Once the update is finished, check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 8: Uninstall Android Auto App Update

If updating the Android Auto didn’t help, try uninstalling the update of the app you have previously download on your device. It can be possible that due to new updates you’ve installed on your system, the gesture is not functioning correctly. All you need to do is to uninstall the Android Auto app update on your phone. Here’s how to do it.

Open Google Play Store.
In the search bar, type Android Auto and press Enter.
Tap on the Android Auto app and then press Uninstall button.
From the pop-up menu, tap on the Uninstall button to confirm it.
Finally, check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 9: Update System Software

An outdated system software version might be the reason behind the problem. Every smartphone manufacturer brings the new or latest software updates to improve the overall performance and stability. If you’re unable to access gesture navigations with Android Auto, it can be due to an outdated software version.

Updating the software version improve the overall performance and experience of the device. In addition, the new update brings exclusive features you can try out on your device. But if the Android Auto navigation gesture isn’t working, you should update the software version to tackle the problem.

Open the Settings app on your phone.
Scroll down and tap on System.
Tap on System update. [Your phone will automatically check for available updates.]
Download the update if an update is available.
Once the update is finished, install the update by restarting your phone.

Fix 10: Perform a Factory Reset

If none of the above workarounds works to fix gesture navigation not working with Android Auto, then you should perform a factory reset of your device. This will help you in fixing the Android Auto navigations gesture not working issue. Remember that resetting the device will completely wipe all the data including photos, videos, music, and others.

Before proceeding to the process, take a complete backup of your data on your device to avoid losing data. Once you took a complete backup of your data, you can proceed to the factory reset process.

To factory reset your Android phone, follow the steps below:

Open the Settings app on your phone.
Scroll down and tap on System.
In the System menu, tap on Reset options.
Tap on Erase all data (factory reset).
Next, tap on Erase all data and then enter your phone password.
Finally, confirm it by clicking on the Erase all data.
Now your phone will automatically start the reset process. [It will take some time to complete the process, so have some patience.]
Once the device turns back on, set up by following the screen prompts.
Hopefully, the Android Auto gesture navigation issue has been resolved.

Wrapping Up

Android Auto is a convenient feature on the smartphone that helps the user to access various services. But the Android Auto are mainly useful who owns a car that supports Android Auto where users can access the navigation feature, music, text messages, and more. Unfortunately, the Android Auto gesture navigation not working can be a frustrating problem on the smartphone. But with the right approach, you may tackle the issue without any hassle.

By applying the listed solutions in this guide you can get back to use gesture navigation on your smartphone with Android Auto. We hope that this guide was helpful to you. If you have any questions or thoughts related to this, do let us know in the comments box and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.