Google cut off Android Auto for older phones. With Android 9 and 10, it will no longer work in the car

They got into their car and, as usual, connected their smartphone to the vehicle with a USB cable, but Android Auto didn’t launch. This is exactly what owners of some older phones experienced. Google has raised Android Auto’s minimum requirements to Android 11, so phones with Android 9 and 10 have dropped out of official support.

Google has already rewritten the documentation, Android 11 is now the minimum

The change is evident on the Android Auto help page. For wired connection, Google previously listed Android 9 as the minimum, now it states Android 11. The page requires the same version for wireless Android Auto, where the phone must also support 5GHz Wi-Fi.

The Android Authority server reminds that owners of Android 10 phones were already receiving notifications about the impending loss of support at the beginning of last month. At that time, however, the official documentation still listed Android 9 as the necessary minimum.

Google regularly drops older Android versions from support. Most recently, Android 8 was affected in 2024. The Waze navigation app also went through a similar step earlier, ending support for Android 9.

This affects Galaxy S9, Note 9, and Xperia XZ2 Compact

According to Android Authority, the mentioned notifications appeared on phones such as Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, and Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact. All three ended up with Android 10 and will not receive a newer system.

SamMobile also lists Galaxy A50 and A80 among those affected, but according to XDA Developers’ reports at the time, both received Android 11 in spring 2021 (A50, A80). Their owners just need to have the update installed.

Did you also lose Android Auto due to the change?

Sources: Google, Android Authority, SamMobile, XDA Developers