Sony xperia 5 iii cannot answer whatsapp call on android auto

[0andy0]

Spoiler

Hello,

I cannot answer any whatsapp voice call(not talking about messaging as I don't use phone while driving) on my sony xperia 5 iii phone on my new Toyota car which has Android auto. You would think that having a japanese phone and a japanese car actually would solve this problem in the crib, but it seems not. My phone is still under warranty, and it has Android 13 with latest updates. The only way to answer whatsapp call is to swipe on phone screen, which negates all the idea of having android auto and handsfree.

To be mentioned that I tested Samsung phones and they work, and also iPhones with Apple car.

I also contacted Toyota representative and they said this is phone specific and it has nothing to do with them and they can't do anything about that.

So, do I need to throw my phone in the bin and switch to Samsung?

I don't know sony support for being very client friendly, and even if I opened a case, I believe they won't do anything.

[MarlonUk1]

hello @0andy0 

it seems this feature is still limited to few devices.

Google revealed that users of the latest Pixel and Samsung smartphones can make WhatsApp calls directly via Android Auto. Right now, consumers can only make traditional voice calls via Android Auto, but going forward, they can make voice calls via VoIP apps. If the feature becomes successful, the company could bring the same capability to other communication apps.
''WhatsApp calling via Android Auto could come to older Galaxy and Pixel smartphones, and eventually to smartphones from other Android OEMs.

source: https://www.sammobile.com/news/whatsapp-calling-android-auto-samsung-pixel-phones/

So there might be some updates in the future to enable compatibility on all android devices.. If you would like to know more information you can reach out to Android Auto developers

[Piscie]

Hey @0andy0, have you been facing this issue since day 1 of connecting the phone to the car via Android auto? and have you tried any troubleshooting steps to sort this out? Such as factory reset or software repair?