AutoAndroid Auto is about to stop working on older smartphonesGoogle’s car infotainment system now requires Android 8.0 or laterWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoAndroid Auto is about to stop working on older smartphonesGoogle’s car infotainment system now requires Android 8.0 or laterWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Google’s car infotainment system now requires Android 8.0 or later
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
For anyone still using an olderAndroidsmartphone,Googleis in the process of making a major change to how itsAndroid Autocan infotainment system works.
Until now,Android Autoworked over a wired USB connection with phones still running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which arrived all the way back in 2015. But now, the company is in the process of telling anyone still using these phones that their time with Android Auto is almost up.
Asupport document for Android Autohas been updated to state the system will now only work over USB with smartphones running Android 8.0 Oreo or later. This operating system began rolling out in 2017, so it’s still likely that the vast majority of Android users will still have a compatible phone in their pockets.
But, if your handset is four or five years old, your time with Android Auto is about to run out. To keep the infotainment system working, you’ll need to update to a newer version of Android. And if your handset doesn’t support anything beyond 8.0 Oreo, then it’s time for a new phone altogether.
According to someusers on Reddit, anyone running Android Auto on an older handset has started receiving a message stating: “Phone system is too old. App needs Android upgrade soon”.
This at least means Google is giving these customers a bit of time before shutting them out of Android Auto entirely – a kind gesture, given its departure will preventGoogle Mapsand a whole host of other apps from being accessible through their car’s dashboard display. It isn’t clear what will happen to third-party car head units running Android 7.0 or older, but we suspect these will also need a software update, or entirely replacing, soon.
For those who use wireless Android Auto, Google’s requirements remain the same as before. This means any phone running Android 11.0 or later, or aGoogle PixelorSamsunghandset with Android 10.0 or later, or aSamsung GalaxyS8, S8+, and Note 8 with Android 9.0
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