Android Auto showed some users with Android 10 a warning that anticipates the loss of compatibility of the phone. The reports also concerned connections via USB cable and raised the hypothesis of a transition to Android 11 as a minimum requirement. Google has not yet announced this change or announced when the exclusion would take effect.
The message appears when users connect their smartphone to the car. According to reports, the notice explains that the device will lose support because it cannot update to the required Android version. It is therefore one notification of future incompatibility: Reports describe a service that is still usable, accompanied by a warning that it may soon stop working.
Among the models mentioned are Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9 and Sony Xperia XZ2 Compactall of which have officially arrived at Android 10. For those who keep them as their main phone or use them in the car, any new requirement would have immediate practical consequences. The hardware could continue to work, while access to functions on the car’s display would depend on a version of the operating system that these devices have not received through official updates.
Public documentation does not yet confirm this scenario. In the official guide, Google still indicates Android 9.0 Pie or later for the USB connection, along with an active data plan, a compatible vehicle and an appropriate cable. There is therefore a discrepancy between the requirement that can be consulted by users and the warnings that appear on phones with Android 10.
The possible change also affects those who use the cable
For wireless mode, the same guide indicates compatibility with smartphones equipped with Android 11.0also requiring Wi-Fi support a 5 GHz and a compatible car or stereo. Notifications reported during USB connections suggest that Google may also bring the cable requirement to Android 11. It’s a reading of the notices, not a new rule already published by the company.
If this threshold were confirmed, it would exclude both Android 10 and Android 9. The available testimonials concern in particular devices with Android 10, but do not allow us to establish how many users will actually lose the service. Talking about millions of phones affected would require data on the number of devices using Android Auto: the general diffusion of old versions of Android alone does not measure this impact.
Google has already raised the requirements in the past: in 2024 the minimum threshold has moved to Android 9 Pie. That precedent helps to contextualize new notifications, but does not allow us to derive a deadline. The notices described lack a precise date and there is no calendar that clarifies when the service could be interrupted on different devices.
For the models involved, the limit would therefore be the official software support. If Android 11 were to become mandatory, the phones mentioned would not have an official update to fall back on to meet the requirement. Alternative ROMs remain a possibility mentioned in reports, without sufficient evidence to consider them a reliable and generalizable solution. Before treating phone replacement as inevitable, we need a communication from Google specifying excluded versions and times.
