Google has finally phased out the classic Android Auto Assistant in favor of Gemini. While the switch unlocks some great new features—like deep-diving into specific location details—it’s been a rough transition for those of us outside the US.
The main issue? Gemini seems to struggle with local context. It often feels like the AI is just processing raw voice-to-text without considering your current location or country. For example, I’ve asked it to navigate to a town just a few miles away, only for it to confidently calculate a route to a similar-sounding place hundreds of miles away in Ireland.
Fortunately, I found a workaround. By adding a simple directive to Gemini’s custom instructions
(Settings > Personal context > Your Instructions for Gemini), the navigation accuracy has drastically improved.
If you are running into similar Android Auto headaches, copy and paste this into your instructions (just swap in your actual region):
1 2 | When I am driving, use the following defaults unless specified otherwise: I am near [CITY] in Germany. Navigation destinations are pronounced in German, then fallback to English if not found. |