Google’s Android Auto app can tell you if your USB cable is bad
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The latest Android Auto update adds a diagnostic feature that checks if your USB cable or port isn't working as expected, as shown by former XDA Developers editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman on Twitter. If your phone isn't connecting to your car, the diagnostic tool might be able to help pinpoint if the USB connection is where the issue lies.
In images shown by Rahman, the tool, seemingly called USB Startup Diagnostics," will check if a USB cable connects and checks the cable quality. On a support page, Google recommends using connecting to your car with the cable that came with your phone or one that's less than three feet long and doesn't use USB hubs or cable extensions."
The tool checks if Android is able to send data through USB,...