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

Every few years, Google raises the bar for the oldest Android versions that can still run Android Auto. Android 6 lost its place in 2022, followed by Android 8 in 2024. Now, two more versions are reaching the end of the road, and Google has officially confirmed Android 11 as the new minimum requirement for wired Android Auto connections.

The change now appears on Google’s updated Android Auto support page, which previously listed Android 9 Pie as the minimum requirement for connecting a phone to a compatible car via USB. With Android 11 now taking its place, both Android 9 and Android 10 have fallen outside the officially supported range.

This confirms what we first reported in early October when Android 10 users began seeing warnings that their phones would soon lose Android Auto support. At the time, affected users were being told their devices couldn’t update to the required Android version, even though Google’s official documentation still listed Android 9 as supported.

Those warnings appeared on devices including the Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, and Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact. All three officially topped out at Android 10.

The updated requirements now make Google’s position clear: phones running Android 9 or Android 10 are no longer officially supported for wired Android Auto. With affected users already reporting that the feature has stopped working, this is no longer just a warning about what’s coming.

For drivers still using these older phones, getting Android Auto working again means moving to a device running Android 11 or newer. That could involve installing an available software update or replacing a phone that cannot upgrade beyond Android 10.

This isn’t the first time Google has drawn a line under older Android versions, and it definitely won’t be the last. But for existing Android 9 and Android 10 users, the warnings have now turned into an official goodbye.