Foldable Android Phones Experience Call Drops on Android Auto, Potentially Linked to Gemini

Foldable Android phone owners are now reporting that voice calls get cut off or disrupted when the devices are paired with Android Auto, an issue that seems connected to the newly rolled‑out Gemini software layer.

Engadget notes that the glitch shows up mainly when drivers try to place or answer calls through the car’s infotainment system while the phone remains folded. Affected users report hearing choppy audio or the call dropping entirely, which forces them to switch back to the phone’s built‑in dialer. The problem does not appear on regular smartphones, indicating a compatibility issue unique to the foldable design.

The suspected culprit is Gemini, a module of Google’s newest Android release that bundles AI‑powered features and system‑level tweaks. Although Google has not issued an official explanation, the issue surfaced alongside the rollout of Gemini updates, leading observers to suspect that new code paths may be mishandling the handoff between the device’s screen states and the Android Auto interface.

Android Auto projects a phone’s navigation, messaging and calling functions onto a vehicle’s dashboard and depends on flawless communication between the handset and the car’s head unit. Because foldable phones employ dual screens and a movable hinge, their integration is inherently more intricate. Developers have traditionally needed to manage screen‑orientation shifts and sensor data, and Gemini’s deeper system integration could be introducing unexpected conflicts.

Google has yet to release a formal comment or a timeline for a fix. For now, users experiencing the issue are advised to keep their phones unfolded while using Android Auto or, where possible, turn off the Gemini feature. The episode highlights the wider difficulty of synchronising novel hardware formats with rapidly evolving software stacks, and it will likely become a focus of forthcoming Android updates and manufacturer testing cycles.