Android Auto may have been a big mess at first, but in recent years it has become a real alternative to enjoy apps and services in our car.
[La solución para tener Android Auto en el coche sin complicaciones]
One of the big advantages of the Google-created system over alternatives like Apple CarPlay is its open nature, allowing you to do things like install Android Auto on older cars using wireless dongles.
Android Auto loses support on some phones
Unfortunately, good things don’t last forever, and earlier this year Google warned that it would remove Android Auto support
Specifically, the new requirements mean that Android Auto now requires Android 8.0 or higher on the mobile to be able to connect to the car; This is a big leap, given that previously the minimum was Android 6.0, so it is expected that this will affect many users.
The worst is not that; it is inevitable that the requirements will increase to be able to improve the system without having to worry about old mobiles. The really bad thing is that Google decided to completely remove Android Auto access from older phones.
New Android Auto features such as forced update widgets
The free Android
You might have thought it was okay to lose support and all you had to do was keep using Android Auto without updating it, but that’s not allowed. Google launched a mandatory update for Android Auto, without which the application cannot function; when we start the application, a pop-up message appears asking us to update, and it is not possible to ignore it. In addition, it blocks access to Android Auto from the car screen.
As a result, mobile phone users running Android 6 and Android 7 will no longer be able to use Android Auto, or receive updates for related apps such as Waze. It is true that the users concerned will be few in number, but they do exist.
At least Google has good reason to force this update and leave old phones behind. The company is developing a complete redesign of Android Auto, codenamed “Coolwalk”, which should use more advanced features and a more attractive design, based on the latest Android updates.
