Android Auto now needs Android 11 or newer to work in your car

Android Auto no longer supports phones running Android 9 or Android 10. Google has confirmed the new minimum is Android 11. If your phone is on an older version, the maps, music and calls you see on your car screen may stop working.

What changed

Android Auto is the app that puts maps, music and calls on your car's built-in screen, so you can use them without handling your phone. Until now, phones on Android 9 and 10 could still use it. That is ending. Android 11 is now the lowest version Google supports.

Who it affects

Anyone who plugs or connects an Android phone running Android 9 or 10 into a car screen. That includes families who rely on it for directions and drivers who use it for work calls. If your phone runs Android 11 or newer, nothing changes for you.

What to do

The alert box above walks through the steps. In short, check your Android version, look for an update, and keep a backup way to navigate in case your car screen stops connecting.

What is not known yet

The material available does not say exactly when phones will lose the connection, or whether it will happen all at once. It also does not say which phone models are stuck on Android 10 or older with no update offered. Checking your own phone now is the safest way to avoid a surprise on the road.