Even though it is a system open to anyone with a smartphone running Google’s operating system, Android Auto has some very strict requirements. These ensure that this solution works correctly and without any limitations. Google has changed these requirements again and new smartphones are no longer included. Find out which ones are missing out on Android Auto.
Will you be able to use Android Auto on your smartphone?
Android Auto has undergone some very important changes in recent years. This system, now dedicated to car screens, was previously only available with a smartphone, thus limiting the interface that was available to everyone.
Now that it is only focused on car screens, it has new minimum requirements to be used. Google has changed the rules and now requires Android 9 to be present on the smartphone. According to support page From Google, the requirements for using Android Auto are as follows:
- An Android phone with Android 9.0 (Pie) or higher and an active data plan.
- A compatible car. Find out if your car or car stereo is compatible with Android Auto.
- A high quality USB cable.
On the technical side, all you need is a compatible car, a decent USB cable, and a reasonably modern smartphone. Just two years ago, Google supported all smartphones running Android 6.0 or higher. It increased the requirements in July 2022 to require Android 8.0 or higher.
Google's new requirements for Android
Interestingly, this change isn’t expected to have a huge impact on users. Android 8.0, according to Google’s distribution chart in Android Studio, was only used on just over 6% of active devices in July 2024, and was only on about 8% of devices in 2023.
Last December, it was reported that Google was preparing to block older versions of Android from using Android Auto. The information available at the time did not include details about the time window in which it would be implemented or which version would be required in the future.
One important thing to remember is that these are the minimum requirements for using Android Auto with a wired connection. If you want to use the platform wirelessly, Google requires Android 11.0 or higher, or Android 10.0 with select Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices.
Source: pplware.sapo.pt
