Android Auto drops Android 9 and 10 as Google confirms new minimum requirements

Google has raised the minimum Android version for Android Auto to Android 11.0 or higher, meaning phones still running Android 9 or Android 10 can no longer use the app over a USB connection, Martin Cid Magazine reported. The same floor already applied to wireless Android Auto, which also required a phone with 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Drivers whose phones never received Android 11 lose navigation, messages and music on the car’s screen, and the dashboard reverts to the radio, the car’s own navigation if it has one, and Bluetooth for calls and audio.

Affected devices include Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9, Sony’s Xperia XZ2 Compact, and Google’s original Pixel and Pixel XL, all of which stopped receiving major Android updates at version 10, according to Martin Cid Magazine. Owners of the Galaxy S9, Note 9 and Xperia XZ2 Compact began seeing warnings in October that their phone would no longer be supported because it could not update to the required Android version, as Android Headlines reported. Android Authority confirmed the requirement is now official on Google’s Android Auto help page and that affected users say the app has already stopped working for them.

Google has not announced the change in a blog post or press note, Martin Cid Magazine said. The help page changed, and Google has not given a cutoff date, so it is unclear whether every Android 9 and 10 phone stops connecting at once or only after a later Android Auto update blocks it. Google also has not explained what in Android 11 the app now depends on, and the help page lists no regional exceptions.

To check compatibility, open Settings, then About phone, and look at the Android version. If it reads 9 or 10 and no system update is offered, Google offers no official way back other than a newer phone, Martin Cid Magazine reported. Cars sold with Google built-in, which run Google Maps and apps on the car itself, do not need a phone for navigation and are not affected. Android 10 arrived in 2019 and Android 11 in 2020, so the new floor falls on phones that are around six years old. The Galaxy S10, one year newer than the S9, was updated up to Android 12 and stays on the supported side of the line for now.