As a flagship model whose pricing goes all the way up to over $1,600 for the top-of-the-range configuration with 1TB of storage, the Galaxy S23 Ultra should theoretically provide owners with a flawless experience on all fronts. Including Android Auto, that is.
The early Galaxy S23 Ultra buyers figure out the hard way that this isn’t true, as Android Auto seemingly fails to run in a car where other Android devices are working perfectly. The first reports signaling this issue went live on the Google forums a few days ago, and I expect the number of complaints to go up as more people receive the device.
The struggles might sound familiar to Samsung customers. When connected to the head unit, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra fails to start Android Auto, with a message that shows up on the mobile device reading “USB device not supported.” Users claim they’ve tried the typical workarounds, including switching to other cables, but nothing brought Android Auto to a working state. Not even the original Samsung cable, that is, as the app just fails to launch when the Galaxy S23 is at the other end of the cord.
There’s a good reason I said the experience might feel familiar for Samsung customers. The same issues happened with the Galaxy S22 Ultra as well, and unfortunately, it took the South Korean company many months to deliver a fix.
Some Android Auto users who bought the Galaxy S22 Ultra are still struggling with the same connectivity problems today despite all these fixes, and it’s not known if the parent company is at least continuing the investigation. On the other hand, Samsung should look into these new reports too, as the Galaxy S23 series appears to hit the same problems on Android Auto as its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy S23 starts at $799 in the United States for the base model with 128GB of storage, but for a limited time, customers can order the 256GB version without having to pay extra. The base version of the larger Galaxy S23+ costs $999, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra can be yours for at least $1,199 when fitted with 256GB of storage. A limited-time offer provides buyers with a free storage upgrade on the Ultra as well.
