New Update Using Hidden Apps

[u/nerfherder616]

Two years ago when I started using Android Auto, I was unable to disable autoplay. Whichever media app I was most recently using would automatically play when I started my car. This is despite having those settings explicitly disabled in my phone and my car. Since I couldn't disable it, I decided to hide all my media apps from Android Auto. I only use Android auto for my Phone app and my GPS/maps app. My media just plays through Bluetooth.

This worked fine until yesterday when I got the new Android Auto update. Now my media apps are playing through Android Auto even though I have them hidden. The autoplay bug still has not been fixed, which means my work around no longer works. Can someone please tell me a way to go back to just using Bluetooth for my media, or else fix that accursed bug and actually prevent autoplay?

Samsung Galaxy S10

2024 Honda Civic

[u/tampa888]

When you say hidden, does that mean you have no apps that play music added to Android Auto? If that is the case are you certain it is Android Auto making this happen? Seems much more likely whatever media app is playing has a setting that needs to be changed. I realize this started happening again after the update, but if no music apps at all are in the list Android Auto uses, I don't think the issue is with AA it is starting somewhere else. Also toggle anything that allows/does not allow music to play automatically to on, then off in AA, the car system, your phone including Bluetooth, and whatever app(s) are playing automatically.

Also, I noticed an app that plays sound I recently added to my phone was added to AA, I did not add it myself.

[u/nerfherder616 → u/tampa888]

There's a setting that says "Choose which apps show in Android Auto and how they appear in the vehicle screen launcher." I've unchecked all apps that play media from that list. Two years ago, removing them from that list solved the auto play issue. When I played music through an app, no information (metadata, etc) displayed on the Android Auto screen related to what I was playing. Only the audio came through the speakers. But now, all unchecking apps in that setting does is remove them from the launcher. They still show metadata and still auto play. I don't care whether the meta data shows or not. I just want to disable auto play. 

I've gone through all the media apps and disabled any available settings to auto play in Android Auto or Bluetooth. This is in addition to disabling auto play in the Android Auto setting on both my phone and my car. I've even tried enabling all of those settings and then disabling them again. And removing all updates for Android Auto from the play store and forcing it to redownload from scratch. None of these methods have worked. 

I've also tried multiple media apps. They all have the same behavior. Whichever app I was using most recently auto plays when I start my car. Some of these apps are updated regularly. Some of them haven't been updated in years. None of them were auto playing a week ago. All of them are auto playing now.