Android Auto Spotify progress bar bug: why the wavy design disappears in full-screen

© A. Krivonosov

Android Auto’s new media player has developed an unusual glitch: for some users, Spotify’s wavy playback progress bar turns back into a conventional straight line. The change depends on screen mode — switch to split-screen and the new design returns. That makes it too early to call this a full interface rollback by Google.

Google began rolling out the wavy bar with its updated media playback template in early 2026. The template standardizes the look of Spotify, YouTube Music and other audio apps. Some of the changes were enabled server-side, so the same Android Auto version does not always produce the same interface for two users.

The current anomaly appears to be especially noticeable in Spotify: full-screen mode shows the old straight line, while split-screen shows the new wavy one. Android Authority contacted Google for comment, but at the time of publication there was no official explanation or confirmed fix.

That means reinstalling the app or rolling Android Auto back just for the visual change makes little sense for now: it is unclear whether the issue depends on the client version or a server-side setting. During the summer, users had already encountered much more serious problems after Android Auto 17.2, including freezes, connection drops and trouble when playing audio. Server-side feature rollouts have also repeatedly caused differences between devices.

For drivers, the current problem is mostly cosmetic: music playback continues to work. Still, it highlights a weak point of server-side Android Auto updates — the interface can change without an obvious app update and then revert just as unexpectedly. The next development will likely be a comment from Google or another server-side change to the media player.