Android Auto now requires Android 11 or newer, dropping phones on versions 9 and 10

Google has officially raised the minimum requirements for the Android Auto app. According to the Polish tech site Spider's Web, a phone that is to work with the system in a car must now run Android 11 or newer. This means Android 9 Pie and Android 10 are no longer officially supported.

What exactly has changed

The change matters most to people who use wired Android Auto, as wireless connections already had much higher requirements. To work, you need a phone with Android 11 or newer, an active data connection and a compatible car.

Spider's Web lists the Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9 and Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact among the affected phones. The author points out that such devices may still work perfectly well. The cut-off is set by the system version, not the hardware.

Earlier increases in requirements

This is not the first such change. According to the source, in July 2024 Google changed the requirement from Android 8.0 Oreo to Android 9 Pie. Before that, the minimum was Android 8, and earlier still even phones with Android 6 Marshmallow were supported.

A formal change did not always mean an immediate cut-off. Only in October 2025 did Android Auto 15.5 actually start enforcing the Android 9 requirement. Version 15.4 was still compatible with Android 8. That change affected only a small part of the market: according to Google data from April 2025, Android 8.0 accounted for about 1% of active devices and Android 8.1 for about 3%. This time two system versions drop out at once.

How to check your Android version

Open Settings on your phone. The next steps depend on the manufacturer, but there is usually an entry for system updates at the bottom of the list. Selecting it shows your current software version and any available update.

What this means for you

The change affects anyone who uses Android Auto, in the UK and in Poland alike. If you use Android Auto in your car and have an older phone on Android 9 or 10, check your system version. If the manufacturer does not offer an update to Android 11 or newer, you may need to replace the phone or find another way to handle navigation and music in the car. The source does not say when exactly the restrictions will start to apply on individual devices.

The author of the piece also notes that Android 10 dates from 2019 and Android 9 from 2018, so maintaining compatibility with old systems has a cost. At the same time, a car usually lasts much longer than a phone.