How to fix Android app auto update error

While most people stick with Google Maps, Waze, Spotify, or YouTube Music, there are plenty of other apps that are already compatible with Android Auto and available for download from the Google Play Store.

The Mountain View-based search giant is working tirelessly to bring even more apps to the world of Android Auto, which is why the company unlocked the platform for new categories earlier this year. In other words, third-party developers can now bring navigation apps and VE load tools on Android Auto, and according to Google itself, several of them are already working on such updates.

This can only be good news for everyone, including users and Google, but as we’ve learned the hard way, sometimes apps don’t perform exactly as expected on Android Auto.

And one of the errors you might encounter when trying to run them on the Android Auto app looks like this: “Unable to install or update [app name] application.“

At first glance, this is a pretty weird error message that doesn’t say anything about the problem with the app you are trying to use, but in fact, it signals an issue with the Google Play Store services.

The error message
Android Auto is integrated with all Google services, including Google Play, as are the rest of the apps you use while driving, such as Google Assistant and Google Maps.

So, in order for everything to work properly, the Google Play Store should always be fully up to date, and that is the reason why you are seeing the aforementioned error message on Android Auto.

Google has also confirmed that this error message is the result of an outdated version of the Google Play Store on your smartphone.

“If you see the error message “Unable to install or update XXX app” when you launch the Android Auto app, you may need to update Play Store on your phone first to install / update applications such as Google application, Google Maps, Google Play Music working with Android Auto,“, explains Google.How to correct the error message
As you’ve probably figured out by now, the workaround is pretty straightforward, and the only thing you need to do on your device to get everything back to working order is to simply update the Google Play Store app. And to do this, you need to disconnect the phone from your head unit first and then launch the Google Play Store app on the device.

Next, tap on the menu icon in the upper left corner and expand the settings screen, then head to the Build version Where Play Store version heading at the bottom of the page.

When you see a message that says “A new version of Google Play Store will be downloaded and installed,”Just press the OK button and then give it a few minutes to complete the process. Needless to say, you need to be connected to the internet all this time because your Android phone needs to download the latest version from Google Play Store from Google services.

When you’re done, you can connect the device to your head unit, and this time Android Auto should successfully launch any compatible apps you want to use while driving. If necessary, the latest version should be downloaded automatically and the aforementioned error should no longer appear, as everything is running in the background.