If you use Android Auto frequently and have an old mobile, we have bad news for you. Google recently increased the minimum requirements to use Android Auto and is now forcing updates to newer versions of the app. With this, many devices enter a loop with no solution, making it impossible to use Android Auto on certain mobiles .
Don’t have a mobile with Android 8 Oreo or higher? No more Android Auto for you
In August, Google announced that new versions of Android Auto from then on would need at least Android 8 Oreo to work . Thus, the application automatically increased its minimum requirements, since previously it only needed Android 6 Marshmallow or higher.
The detail? Until version 7.4 of Android Auto, any mobile with Android 6.0 or 7.0 could continue to use the application without any problem. It was enough not to update the application to continue using it , but this is no longer the case.
For a few days, Android Auto 7.4 and all previous versions ask to be updated to use them . Just by opening the app, a window will ask you to update it, without the possibility of removing it and moving on.
The problem? Android Auto 7.5 and higher requires Android 8 Oreo to work. If you have a mobile with Android 6 or 7, you simply will not be able to update , but you will not be able to use the application either. This decision by Google may not please some users, as it leaves them unable to enjoy Android Auto from one moment to the next.
However, we must remember that Android 6 was released in 2015 , 7 years ago, so it is an outdated version, without security patches and more . It can be useful? Yes, but no company will continue to invest resources in such an old version (unless it is Nvidia, which has just updated its Nvidia Shield TV that is exactly 7 years old).
Fortunately, the percentage of affected users will not be that great. According to the latest update on the distribution of Android versions, only 8% of mobiles have Android 6 or 7 . Of them, only a fraction will use Android Auto, so those affected are less than one thinks.
