Google's Android Auto support page now lists Android 11 or newer as the minimum for a wired USB connection, according to Android Authority. That page previously listed Android 9 Pie. If your phone runs Android 9 or 10, it is no longer officially supported, and Android Auto may already have stopped working in your car.
This hits wired users hardest. Android Police reports that the requirement covers both wired and wireless connections. Wireless already needed Android 11, so the real change is for people who plug in over USB.
What Google's page now says
9to5Google and Android Central both report that Google's updated support page now says Android 11.0 or newer is required.
Google doesn't appear to have announced the change. Android Police calls it a quiet update.
How the change rolled out
The warnings came first. 9to5Google says some drivers saw a "Phone will no longer be supported" message in October 2026, and that Google only updated its documentation this week.
What is confirmed and what isn't
Confirmed: Google's support page now says Android 11 or higher. Android 9 and 10 are unsupported.
Not confirmed: whether every Android 9 or 10 phone is blocked right now. 9to5Google says Android Auto 18.1, the latest app update, still supports Android 10. Martin Cid flags the gap directly: it's unclear whether every such phone stops connecting at once or only after a later app update blocks it.
So if your Android 10 phone still connects, that may not last.
Google also hasn't explained what in Android 11 the app now depends on, per Martin Cid.
Check your Android version
This takes under a minute:
- Open Settings.
- Tap About phone.
- Look at Android version.
If it says 11 or higher, nothing changes for you. If it says 9 or 10, you're in the unsupported group.
What you can do if your phone is on Android 9 or 10
Ignore older setup guides. Guides written before this change can give the old minimum. Google's own page is the reference now.
Plan for a phone on Android 11 or newer. Google's page lists no older version as supported, so a phone running Android 11 or later is the only route the official requirements allow, for wired or wireless.
The next app update to watch
Watch the first Android Auto release after version 18.1. 9to5Google says 18.1 still supports Android 10. If the next build drops it, that would settle the open question of whether the block is happening phone by phone or all at once.
