One of the key features of Google Maps has mysteriously disappeared, and as Google investigates the whole, users are looking for all kinds of workarounds that could help fill the loophole this struggle is obviously causing.

First, let’s see where the problem comes from.

Google Maps on Android Auto is a perfect match. Unsurprisingly, the navigation app feels at home in the car, and essential features already available on the mobile device have also landed on the larger display inside the cabin.

One of the features that many Android users use regularly is the support for opening links directly on the Android Auto screen. In other words, if you receive a link on your phone, tap it on the mobile device to set up a new destination on Android Auto as well.

And here is why this feature is so handy for some users.

If someone sends you an address on WhatsApp, for example, you can just tap the link in Google Maps and then start browsing on your mobile device. With this feature, the new destination is then transferred to Android Auto, so you can start browsing in just a few seconds.

Without the support for mobile links, such a thing would be practically impossible, as users would only have to configure the new destination manually.

For some users, such functionality is essential. Just think of those who work in the delivery industry and regularly use Google Maps links. If this feature is not working properly, using Google Maps on Android Auto can easily become a painful struggle.

And that is exactly what is happening now. Support for Google Maps links seems to be broken down on Google Maps so that users can no longer open navigation on their mobile devices and then transfer the destination to Android Auto.

No one knows exactly what’s going on, and while Google says it’s currently investigating, users are finding various workarounds that more or less help temporarily resolve this issue.

There are basically two different ways to use Google Maps links until a patch arrives.

It is above all the logical solution but very impractical. Simply disconnect your mobile device from the main unit, set up navigation on the phone, and then connect it to launch Android Auto again. When opening Google Maps on the screen, Google Maps should be ready to provide guidance to the already configured destination.

And then, it looks like downgrading Google Maps to an older version will do the trick for now. In other words, you have to deactivate the app, uninstall all updates and therefore stick to an older version of Google Maps that doesn’t have the bug.

Of course, if you’ve turned on automatic updates on your phone, it’s only a matter of time until the latest version is installed for Google Maps. So remember to turn this feature off as well, just to make sure that Google Maps is not automatically updated to the latest version affected by the issue.

At the moment, there is no estimate of when Google might find a fix, so if mobile links are a must-have feature for you, these two solutions are pretty much the only way to make them work at this point.

Still, if you don’t want to struggle with such painful workarounds, you can simply switch to another app, such as Waze, which currently works fine on Android Auto.