Google Blocks Android Auto Support for Older Phone Users

Teejay Boris, Tech Times 03 November 2022, 06:11 am

Google blocked Android Auto support for older Android smartphones after requiring them to update their app.

However, the newer version of Android Auto requires a more recent release of Android installed on the mobile device.

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 28: A Volkswagen featuring Android Auto is displayed during the 2015 Google I/O conference on May 28, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The annual Google I/O conference runs through May 29.

And as such, when Google forced its users to update, it also blocked the access of older phone owners to Android Auto.

Google Android Auto No Longer Works on Older Smartphones

As per the latest news story by Sam Mobile, Google required Android Auto users running its older versions from 7.0 to 7.7 to get the latest update.

A pop-up message started bugging users to tell them that they need to update the app to continue using its features.

But it is worth noting that older smartphones can no longer install the latest version of the Android Auto app. In turn, the latest move of Google essentially cuts their access to the platform.

Android Auto allows its users to mirror their phones to the infotainment systems of the vehicles. And without access to the app, they could no longer enjoy its features.

According to a recent report by Android Headlines, when users of older phones try to open the app, they are welcomed with a massive "update" button. And it looks like there is no option to skip updating the app. So if they want to proceed using its features, it seems that they have no choice but to do so.

Android Auto System Requirements

Sam Mobile notes that back in 2015 when the search engine giant debuted Android Auto, it was available to all phones that sport Android 5.0 or newer.

But months after its launch, the platform started requiring users to have at least version 6.0 of the mobile operating system.

And a couple of years later, Google bumped the Android requirements in early 2022, requiring users to have at least Android 8.0 or the latest version.

(Photo : by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Visitors walk past the Android stand at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on February 25, 2019. - Phone makers will focus on foldable screens and the introduction of blazing fast 5G wireless networks at the world's biggest mobile fair starting February 25 in Spain as they try to reverse a decline in sales of smartphones.

Despite these system requirements, older phone users still had access to it by keeping the older version of Android Auto.

But this time, the renowned tech giant now requires older phone users to update the app to its latest version. In effect, this blocks phones that run Android versions older than version 8.0.

Given this, it looks like phone users still clinging to Android 7 or older versions would have to upgrade their smartphones. If not, they would have to completely let go of Android Auto, like in the good ol' days.

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Written by Teejay Boris