Why Android Auto Keeps Disconnecting ?
My environment: Google pixel and Chevy 2017 Cruze Premier Hatchback.
Out of the box driving down the road there were frequent audio hiccups. This is because the phone uses WiFi to scan for cellular alternatives... I had to research and change a setting and unfortunately do not remember it to post it. Without doing this connection/audio pausing is vexingly problematic. After, I am finding a few hiccups but not infuriatingly many.
The other issue I have is that the car apparently turns on the Android auto USB port as soon as the door is opened. Which leads to BT connection to the phone and then WiFi change over to this dongles network switching my phone over to Cellular data. Since no one else is accessing my car the inconvenience comes in that I park my car in a cellular dead zone with WiFi coverage. Connecting this quickly means any data related call I have can't be handed off in this dead zone. Hand off can occur if I unplug the dongle after use and plug it in after transitioning to the cellular network. Using WiFi in on your connected device becomes not an option without dropping the Android auto connection. So in my case no using the car WiFi and Android auto with the dongle simultaneously nor home WiFi. Generally I use my phone data but AT&T could have coverage where Verizon doesn't. Turning BT on phone later is a debacle requiring a power cycle of the dongle which means unplugging it and plugging it back in.
Overall it does what it is supposed to but does require tiring up your phone's WiFi. Which as I posted above may come with annoyances. Why Chevy didn't just put in a Fast charger in the head unit I'll never know. Nor do I understand why there is not a USB Android auto charge enhancer. Plug your Android auto into your charger or whatever and have a port that does Fast/PD and Android auto... or have a bridge that plugs into a charger and Android auto... All I wanted was Fast charging and Android auto at the same time... this mostly works. Next I guess is finding out what can be done about timing of the Android auto port turning on or other aftermarket options. Or maybe I should have looked closer at the aftermarket USB charge enhancers. All this to say this a not ideal solution unless you genuinely are not wanting a wired connection at all.
A power switch would go a long way in improving my experience... I could use a direct BT connection for audio when I don't need Android auto and manage my wifi transitions better. Even a software controller to hold Android auto over wifi off until I am ready would make a difference.
This is more complicated than I wanted it to be is all I am saying. From what I remember the competitors use wifi as well therefore these problems I would expect to be universal to products in this class.