Android Auto is dropping support for millions of older phones soon

Android Auto may soon stop supporting millions of Android phones as the platform prepares to raise the minimum Android version required for wired connections, according to warnings being sent to some users. The alerts indicate Google could be planning to increase the minimum Android Auto requirement from Android 10 to Android 11 for these connections.

Google has not publicly announced the change yet, and its support pages still list Android 9 Pie as the minimum requirement for wired Android Auto. However, Android Auto has already abandoned several older versions of Android in recent years. In 2022, Google ended support for Android 8 Oreo and older devices, then raised the minimum requirement to Android 9 Pie in 2024.

Now, Android 10 users are beginning to receive notifications when connecting their phones to cars that say, "Phone will no longer be supported," followed by a warning that Android Auto will stop working soon because the device cannot update to the required Android version. Several users with older phones have reported this message, suggesting that Android 11 may soon become the new minimum requirement for wired Android Auto connections.