Android Auto is the most popular infotainment system in the world. In 2025, it boasted two hundred fifty million users as of last May. Unfortunately, for some users, older smartphones are being left behind.
Google is taking action with the release of update 15.5 for Android Auto, which prepares for the launch of Gemini this fall. Currently, this version is only available for beta testers and cannot be installed on older smartphones. Specifically, we are referring to smartphones running Android 8 and earlier.
Which smartphones no longer work with Android Auto?
The minimum requirement to run Android Auto has now been set to Android 9 by Google. In short, this restriction does not prevent you from using Android Auto, but it does block access to the latest features and security updates.
It’s worth noting that the discontinuation of Android Auto support for smartphones running Android 8 and earlier has been known for quite some time. This announcement was made last year, but until now, Google had not taken action. It was Android Authority that discovered this restriction in the latest beta update. In summary, Android Auto 15.4 still supports Android 8, but this is not the case for version 15.5. The Google Play Store also specifies that at least Android 9 is required to participate in the beta program.
Additionally, in 2022, Google had already dropped support for smartphones running Android 7, imposing Android 9 as the minimum version. The minimum requirement of Android 9 indicates that, inevitably, the Mountain View company will continue to phase out older smartphones. It is important to note that in April 2025, Google reported that only 1% of smartphones were running Android 8, and for Android 8.1, the figure is about 3%. Thus, the abandonment of this version of the operating system affects only a small portion of the community.
As for Android Auto, it is a global success. It has outperformed Apple’s CarPlay with 250 million users as of last May. This makes it a significant ecosystem for Google.
