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116

Android Auto will soon stop working on older devices (9to5google.com)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (3 children)

This makes no sense to me. How do these two devices that are currently working together stop functioning? Does it require updating/auto updating the software on your phone to kill it? Seems ridiculous.

Or is this saying newer head units installed in cars might require a newer version of Android Auto that won’t work on an older phone OS?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (2 children)

This looks to be Google ending support for the Android Auto framework on older Android versions, that's all. It's not about the car, it's about the phone.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

So if you don’t update your phone, it continues to work? But if I buy a new phone, it won’t work with the older car?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

If you don't update Android Auto, maybe. Apps still rely on the framework that makes it work, so you are likely to have those break if they use features that Android Auto didn't have at the update freeze.

The version they're cutting off is really old, relatively speaking. You have to be on Oreo or later (8.0+), which came out in 2017.
Many apps you would use Android Auto will likely bump up to this break point soon. Waze, for example, is 7.0+. You're bound to run into issues being on Nougat or earlier soon, if not already.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Adding on to a bit from your comment that I missed, it's not affecting the car itself. The article should have used the word "phone" instead of "device".
All Android Auto is a screen for your phone that also hooks into car buttons. Your phone does all the hard work with projecting data to the screen. If your phone is too old, Android Auto might not work because apps don't work properly with the base framework by Google.
You can use a new phone on an older car that officially supports Auto/CarPlay. That's never been a problem.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I mean, Android Auto runs on your phone and just transmits the video/audio to your car so yeah. It's just like any other app dropping support for older versions of the OS.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Maybe read the article?

Software updates and eventually you have to stop supporting older versions of Android. Apps do it all the time. Dropping support for Android 7.0 going into 2024 seems reasonable (it's only a couple percent of the total market).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think a combination. Newer cars will require newer phones, older cars probably won't support newer phones. If I had an older car I may keep an old phone and hotspot it or something.

Or 3rd party radio

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I have a wireless CarPlay dongle for my car and I wonder if that could get around it.

Especially it simulates a wired CarPlay connection to the car, even if your device is Android Auto.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Are you using a phone from 2017 or earlier? If not, you have nothing to worry about. If so, I'm surprised it still works.
The article topic only affects phones with Android Nougat and earlier. If you're on Oreo or later (8.0+), you're fine. This has nothing to do with the car and everything to do with the phone doing the screen projection.