Android phones don’t last forever, and neither does the software they run on. If you’re using a phone running Android 8 or earlier and also using Android Auto as your car’s navigation and entertainment platform, you might be in for a nasty shock. Google would impose a minimum phone operating system requirement for the first time.
9to5Google reports that users of phones running OS versions older than Android 9.0 (which debuted in late 2018) are seeing errors when trying to access Android Auto in their car. This requirement was announced this summer, but apparently the grace period has ended. At least one user with a 2017 LG V30 got an unpleasant surprise when trying to use the system, a pop-up saying “This phone no longer supports Android Auto.”
The message said the phone needed the latest version of Android… which might have been a particularly scathing instruction, since the V30 is so far past software support that its manufacturer doesn’t even make smartphones anymore.
According to StatCounter, just over 4% of Android users worldwide are running a version older than Android 9.0. Of course, not all of these users will own a car, and of those who do, not all of them will be compatible with Android Auto or even want to use it.
Google and Samsung are promising longer software support for new devices, attempting to rival Apple’s better support for aging phones. But it’s a pretty good reminder that the longer you keep your phone, the more the software will react.
