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The new 2026 Toyota RAV4 was supposed to make everyday driving feel a little smarter. Instead, some owners are finding themselves tapping the steering wheel controls and wondering why their music keeps jumping two tracks at a time.
That is the odd Android Auto glitch now making the rounds among RAV4 drivers. The problem appears when using the previous and next buttons on the steering wheel while listening through Android Auto. Rather than skipping back or forward once, the system seems to fire the command twice, sending Spotify, YouTube Music, or other media apps two tracks in either direction.
The result is maddeningly simple. Press back once, and you may land two songs earlier. Press forward once, and you might jump two songs ahead. For drivers who expect a basic, reliable shortcut, that is a pretty annoying surprise.
A bug that only shows up on Android Auto
Several 2026 Toyota RAV4 owners have now confirmed the issue, and it does not appear to affect Bluetooth audio in the same way. Disconnect the phone from Android Auto and switch to a regular Bluetooth connection, and the steering wheel buttons behave normally again. One press. One command. No drama.
That detail has become an important clue. It suggests the problem is tied specifically to Android Auto rather than Toyota’s steering wheel controls or the RAV4’s audio hardware itself. In other words, the car seems to be doing what it should. The software in the middle is where things get messy.
The issue first surfaced in March, and complaints have only grown since then. Even now, there is still no clear fix from Google. A user posting on Google’s forums said they were running Android Auto 16.1, while the current release is 16.6. Whether the newer version helps remains uncertain, but there has been no official confirmation that the bug is solved.
A Google Community Specialist responded to one report on February 27, saying, “Thank you for reporting the issue. We have reached out to you via email for further assistance, please reply back to the same email.” Since then, there has been little public movement, and affected owners are still waiting for a patch.
For now, the only dependable workaround is to skip Android Auto and rely on Bluetooth instead.
That may not be the answer many 2026 RAV4 buyers want to hear, especially in a vehicle that leans heavily on connected-car convenience. But until Google rolls out a fix, Bluetooth seems to be the only way to keep the steering wheel playback buttons behaving the way they should.
Source: autoevolution
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