Google Maps has become nearly unusable for some Pixel 11 users on Android Auto

Android Auto has been serving up something close to a bug of the week lately. Google recently had to explain why Maps’ speedometer was disappearing, and it just fixed another long-running Android Auto signal bars issue. Now another navigation headache has been added to the pile, and this one appears to be hitting Google’s new Pixel 11 family.

Several Pixel 11 owners across Reddit and the Android Auto community are reporting that Google Maps becomes choppy, freezes, flickers, or throws strange graphical artifacts on their car displays. For some, Maps repeatedly flickers and briefly turns into “pixelated black static,” while the YouTube Music panel and navigation overlays remain stable. This happens over both wired and wireless Android Auto.

Others report a noticeably lower frame rate than on their Pixel 8. At the same time, several Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL owners have also reported navigation falling behind, freezing completely, or refusing to load. Unfortunately, clearing app data, reinstalling Maps and Android Auto, switching cables, or changing Android Auto’s resolution does little to address the issue.

That makes the exact cause difficult to pin down. Some affected users suspect a rendering or GPU-related problem, especially because Maps can glitch while the rest of Android Auto remains unaffected, but this remains speculation.

One user also says keeping the phone unlocked makes Android Auto run smoothly. However, others report no issues at all, so this doesn’t appear to affect every Pixel 11 or every car.

Google is at least paying attention. On its Android Auto support forum, a Community Specialist said the freezing Maps issue had been forwarded to the team for investigation. More recently, Google’s official PixelCommunity account contacted multiple affected Reddit users directly and asked them to continue troubleshooting over chat.

There’s no confirmed fix yet. Newer Maps and Android Auto beta builds may have slightly reduced the glitches for some, but not eliminated them. For now, Pixel 11 owners experiencing the problem may have to wait for Google’s investigation to turn into a software update.

We’ve reached out to Google for more details on what’s causing the issue and whether a fix is coming. We’ll update this article if we hear back.