GPS disappears and then pops back up. I thought it was my USB cable

My GPS has been doing that since the end of my last trip back in May. Just today, I bought a new cable and now it's working fine. The old cable was getting worse as the phone was starting to have trouble charging. I always suspected the cable because I could move it slightly and get the GPS back. The GPS would go out and come back when hitting bumps in the road.

Hope you get it sorted. Welcome to the forum.

 

Although not specifically stated, it looks like the OP did replace the cable. Those miserable USB cables seem to frequently go bad, but it's a sporadic thing, and it's almost assuredly due to the market being flooded for decades with millions of the cheapest possible Chinese USB cables, and there's no way of finding a better replacement, either. Maybe one legitimately from Apple or Samsung might be better.

On top of that, wireless connectivity and charging (a pricey option which GM is very fond of tacking on) is typically just as flakey. I've gotten to the point where I simply don't even try to wirelessly charge in the Bolt's 'cubby hole', anymore.

 

The infotainment screen goes crazy with Android Auto. GPS disappears and then pops back up. I thought it was my USB cable connection to the car, then to the Android phone (USB-C), then with the Infotainment "computer" itself.

I'm bringing it to my Chevy dealer tomorrow, 7/18/2024, but I am not hopeful. The GPS has gotten me lost before, and I blamed it on my Android phone.

Question: can the ENTIRE Infotainment system be REPLACED with a later model year's system? The 2017 Chevy BOLT does NOT support a Bluetooth connection to Android Auto, while I've heard that later BOLTs do. Please HELP.

When you say "GPS" do you mean the map? Or you do actually mean the GPS signal (location on the map) itself? My understanding is that Android Auto uses the GPS receiver on the phone, so if that is flaky, it's the phone.

As for your question, no the infotainment system cannot be replaced with the newer model year version. You'll actually lose some functionality, not gain functionality.

 

If you mean the maps screen disappears from the infotainment display, that's likely to be a phone problem or a problem with the connection to the phone. I recommend an Android phone with at least 6 GB of RAM. I had lots of trouble with my old phone having only 4 GB. Android Auto would frequently just quit, kicking the infotainment back to the car's home screen. Try a different or newer phone. Also, try several different USB cables. Bad cables can cause all sorts of problems.

What do you mean the GPS has gotten you lost? Whatever that problem is, it's not the car. When you're using Android Auto the map application is running on the phone, not the car. Blame your phone or the app.

2022-2023 Bolts support wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay. But it's not over Bluetooth. It's over Wi-Fi (and uses Bluetooth for the audio).

 

Some phones have poor connection.

 

Have to (sheepishly) admit I was having the same sort of problem with an ICE Subaru and to a lesser extent with the BOLT. I tried dumping cache in the phone. I got the latest update for the Ubaru. I checked and rechecked settings. It WAS the USB cord. Even a nearly new responsible brand label cord was causing problems. First, move the suspect cord to the other USB input and observe. That will rule out an individual port being bad. Second, gather up any other USB cords you have lying around or borrow a couple and try them. It turned out I had two perfectly good and two (one a V.3 blue) that were bad. Marked the good ones with a swatch of yellow electrical tape I had on-hand and the bad ones with red because they are still okay for charging or it appears other data use. Also, try downloading Google Maps to your Android. I do it because as a cheapskate I use a Tracfone that eats it's data allowance before lunch. You can also update the maps held in your device routinely so route problems might be fixed more often. The maps are usually dated from the download and are supposed to be good for a year but... For whatever reason downloaded maps work much better in areas with poor cell service. My maps reside in the SD so I'm not eating the main memory. One last comment is the BOLT infotainment 'tho lacking is head and shoulders above the Subaru. Android Auto died completely in the Subaru but the Google version carries on like a champ in the BOLT.

 

You can also update the maps held in your device routinely so route problems might be fixed more often.

If the phone has occasional access to Wi-Fi, Google Maps will automatically update your offline maps. It's one of the settings in offline maps. You don't need to manually update. If you go a year without Wi-Fi access the maps will expire.

Google Maps only uses the offline maps when it doesn't have an internet connection. If you want to minimize your mobile data usage and force the use of offline maps, you need to disable your phone's mobile data connection.

 

I bought a Motorola android auto adapted ($39) and dropped a charging pad on the liner I bought for the floor tray and I'm wireless.

 

Like that idea! If there's one thing that annoys me it's all the cockamamie arrangements for USB cables and the inevitable mess created with the inevitable 3-4 foot USB cable tangled up in either your seat belt or the shifter.

 

I've had the problem with overheating but it's when the passenger window was open and my phone was in the sun.