Android Auto Phases Out Older Phones :For those clinging to their venerable Android 8.0 devices, a significant change is on the horizon. If you rely on Android Auto for in-car connectivity, the time has come to consider an upgrade. With the release of Android Auto version 15.5, now rolling out to beta testers, support for Android 8.0 Oreo is officially being phased out. Moving forward, devices will need to be running Android 9 Pie or a more recent version to install and receive future updates.
This move isn’t entirely unexpected. Google initially announced these compatibility changes over a year ago, providing ample warning for users. Previously, in 2022, the minimum requirement for Android Auto was raised to Android 8.0. While the subsequent jump to Android 9 was planned, its implementation was delayed, granting users on Android 8.x an extended period of updates. However, that grace period appears to be over, as new updates will no longer be available for these older devices.
Frankly, this development is not particularly surprising. Many popular applications have already dropped support for Android 8.0, making Google’s sustained support somewhat remarkable. Furthermore, Android 8.0 wasn’t a vastly popular platform that necessitated prolonged maintenance. According to Google’s own Android distribution data from April 2025, devices still running Android 8.0 comprised a mere 1% of all active devices, with Android 8.1 contributing an additional 3%. This totals a modest 4% of the billions of Android phones worldwide.
If you’ve purchased a smartphone within the last six years, it’s highly probable that it’s already running Android 9 or a newer version. If your device is still on Android 8.0, it’s likely a considerably older model from 2016-2017, or even earlier if it received extensive updates during its lifespan. Such devices have also likely been without security updates for years, posing a potential risk.
Users enrolled in the Android Auto beta program will already observe the “Android 9 and up” requirement on the Google Play Store page. While such changes can be inconvenient for daily users, they represent a standard and crucial aspect of the software development lifecycle. By discontinuing support for aging operating systems, developers gain the ability to leverage newer, more powerful APIs available in modern Android versions. Maintaining backward compatibility is essential for broad accessibility, but eventually, older operating systems must be retired to facilitate progress.
If your current phone is running Android 8.0 and you rely on Android Auto, it’s time to explore your options. You can check if your device has an available update to Android 9 or a higher version, or consider upgrading to a newer smartphone.
