{"id":627159,"date":"2026-10-11T08:22:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T08:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/627159\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T08:22:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T08:22:21","slug":"4-ways-android-auto-is-sabotaging-my-cars-audio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/627159\/","title":{"rendered":"4 ways Android Auto is sabotaging my car&#8217;s audio"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I hate driving in a silent car. I love having music playing, singing along to my favorite songs, and occasionally dancing in my seat at a red light (don\u2019t judge me).<\/p>\n<p>Honestly, I enjoy my own company more than anyone else\u2019s, and a good playlist makes even a boring grocery run feel like a mini road trip.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t like it when Android Auto is sabotaging my car\u2019s audio. One minute, I\u2019m enjoying a song, and the next, the bass sounds weak, the volume feels off, and my favorite song loses its vibe.<\/p>\n<p>I started comparing my audio settings and testing a few things to figure out what was going wrong. Here\u2019s what might be to blame.<\/p>\n<p>                        Spotify, let my music breathe<\/p>\n<p>            I didn\u2019t ask for quieter songs<\/p>\n<p>        <img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Portable Android Auto head unit 4.\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/portable-android-auto-head-unit-4.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/portable-android-auto-head-unit-4.jpg\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/><br \/>\n        Credit:\u00a0Joe Fedewa \/ How-To Geek<\/p>\n<p>I like my music loud enough to enjoy the bass without cranking up the car\u2019s volume. So, if my favorite songs suddenly sound flat and quieter through Android Auto, I\u2019ll notice. And apparently, I\u2019m not the only one dealing with this.<\/p>\n<p>I started wondering if Spotify was part of the problem. The app has a setting called Normalize volume, which keeps tracks at a more consistent loudness. That sounds useful until I want my music to have some punch. I turned it off and saw whether things improved.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, now my Yellow sounded fuller, and the bass came through better.<\/p>\n<p>I opened Spotify, tapped my profile picture, and went to Settings and privacy -&gt; Playback -&gt; Volume normalization. Turn it off, connect to Android Auto, and play a song I know well. Listen for any difference in the bass and overall volume. Using a familiar song makes it easier to spot changes.<\/p>\n<p>It might not fix every audio issue, but it\u2019s worth a quick test before blaming your car speakers.<\/p>\n<p>                        My phone was ruining the vibe<\/p>\n<p>            Who knew the equalizer mattered this much?<\/p>\n<p>When my music sounds off in the car, my first instinct is to blame the speakers. I don\u2019t exactly expect my phone to be messing with the sound, either. But then I remembered all those sound settings I\u2019d never bothered to check. Could one of them be making my favorite songs sound flatter than they should?<\/p>\n<p>On my Samsung phone, I can find the equalizer under Settings -&gt; Sounds and vibration -&gt; Sound quality and effects -&gt; Equalizer. I decided to check whether I\u2019d messed with the bass or treble at some point and forgotten about it. Switching the equalizer to Balanced seemed like a good place to start.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d play \u201cYellow by Coldplay\u201d through Android Auto and see if anything changed. I don\u2019t want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/google-messages-kept-interrupting-my-music-in-android-auto-and-this-is-the-only-fix-that-actually-worked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">spend my driving fiddling<\/a> with the sound settings, but I want to enjoy my safe place.<\/p>\n<p>                        Phone audio enhancements<\/p>\n<p>        <img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Recieving a call with Android Auto\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/recieving-a-call-with-android-auto.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/recieving-a-call-with-android-auto.jpg\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/><br \/>\n        Credit:\u00a0Cory Gunther \/ How-To Geek<\/p>\n<p>After checking my phone\u2019s equalizer, I looked at its sound features, too. Samsung has options like Dolby Atmos that are supposed to make audio sound richer and more immersive. That sounds great in theory, but I don\u2019t want extra effects messing with how my favorite songs sound in the car.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d open Settings -&gt; Sounds and vibration -&gt; Sound quality and effects, and check whether Dolby Atmos is enabled. If it is, I\u2019d turn it off temporarily and play the same song through Android Auto. I\u2019d listen for changes in the bass, vocals, and overall sound instead of assuming that more audio effects automatically mean better music. It&#8217;s basically a trial-and-error method.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d compare both settings and keep whichever sounds better. After all, I\u2019m the one sitting in the driver\u2019s seat, so I call the shots.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/android-settings-to-disable-for-a-better-android-auto-experience\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                        <img width=\"440\" height=\"248\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Android Auto settings in Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/android-auto-settings-in-samsung-galaxy-z-fold-6.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/android-auto-settings-in-samsung-galaxy-z-fold-6.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Related<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/android-settings-to-disable-for-a-better-android-auto-experience\/\" title=\"4 Android settings to disable for a better Android Auto experience\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t4 Android settings to disable for a better Android Auto experience<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Four tiny switches, noticeably less nonsense.<\/p>\n<p>                        Android Auto sounded worse than Bluetooth<\/p>\n<p>            The same song, two different experiences<\/p>\n<p>        <img width=\"1650\" height=\"1320\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Turn of play conversation chime in Android Auto settiings,\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/android-auto-screen-1.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/android-auto-screen-1.jpeg\" class=\"img-brightness-opt-out\"\/><\/p>\n<p> If none of those settings made a difference, I\u2019d stop fiddling with my phone for a moment and compare Android Auto with regular Bluetooth. If my favorite songs sound great over regular Bluetooth but suddenly lose their bass when I switch to Android Auto, something feels off. I don\u2019t want to keep changing my sound settings every time I connect my phone just to enjoy a decent playlist.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d test it by playing the same song through Android Auto and regular Bluetooth at roughly the same volume. If the sound changes noticeably, I\u2019d disconnect my phone, reconnect it, and check whether the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/stopped-using-waze-in-android-auto-after-killed-battery-what-fixed-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">problem persists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t assume Android Auto is definitely to blame, though. My car\u2019s audio system and phone settings could also be involved. But comparing both connections gives me a useful starting point instead of randomly changing settings and hoping for the best.<\/p>\n<p>            Can I please enjoy Yellow at full volume?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not asking for a fancy sound system or some complicated setup. I just want to play Yellow by Coldplay, sing along like I\u2019m performing at a concert, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/new-google-maps-gestures-every-driver-should-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> enjoy my drive<\/a> without wondering why the music sounds off. Is that too much to ask?<\/p>\n<p>If Android Auto starts acting up again, at least I know where to start looking instead of getting annoyed and randomly tapping through settings.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, a small adjustment is all it takes to make the drive more enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if you\u2019ll excuse me, I\u2019ve got a song to sing along to.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/android-autos-hidden-battery-drain-you-cant-disableheres-the-workaround\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                        <img width=\"440\" height=\"248\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Samsung bluetooth settings.\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/samsung-bluetooth-setting.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/samsung-bluetooth-setting.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Related<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/android-autos-hidden-battery-drain-you-cant-disableheres-the-workaround\/\" title=\"Android Auto&#039;s hidden battery drain you can&#039;t disable\u2014here&#039;s the workaround\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tAndroid Auto&#8217;s hidden battery drain you can&#8217;t disable\u2014here&#8217;s the workaround<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">My battery did not sign up. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I hate driving in a silent car. I love having music playing, singing along to my favorite songs,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[342,111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-627159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}