With Android Auto 15.5, Google sets Android 9.0 Pie as the minimum. Older phones like the Galaxy S7 can no longer launch Android Auto, prompting an upgrade.
© A. Krivonosov
Google has tightened the requirements for Android Auto. From now on, a phone must run at least Android 9.0 Pie to connect to a car’s system. With the Android Auto 15.5 update, this floor becomes nonnegotiable, and devices on older software can no longer launch the platform.
Google had been inching the bar up before: in 2022 the minimum moved to Android 8.0, yet owners of legacy phones were still able to keep using Android Auto. That leniency has now ended.
In practice, this locks out the Galaxy S7 and other phones that topped out at Android 8.0, removing access to Android Auto. Newer models that received Android 9.0 or later won’t see any changes—for now.
For anyone still holding on to a Galaxy S7–era device, it’s probably time to weigh an upgrade if Android Auto is part of the daily routine. The decision feels pragmatic: it trims long-tail support and nudges the ecosystem toward current hardware without pretending the past can keep pace forever.