Google Chrome and Calendar are leading Android Auto to follow the same path or to cease functioning on older devices in the near future. This emerges clearly from the recent application update that Google uploaded to the Play Store.
Referring to the latest version of Android Auto
Recently, Google reported that the latest Chrome update (version 120) would be the last to support devices running Android Nougat or earlier.
A similar move was also made by Google Calendar, which stopped working on older operating systems. It is worth mentioning that Nougat was initially released in 2016 and was the default Android version for the first generation of Pixel phones.
Notifications on your devices
In addition to notifications on phones, Android Auto will also display a similar alert on your car’s infotainment screen. Since these notifications are not yet active on the devices, it can be assumed that Android Auto will continue to work on Nougat for at least some time, but this seems likely to change soon.
In this context, it is strange that Google suggests users to “install system updates” or “update your phone”. If someone in 2023 is still using Android Nougat instead of a newer version, it’s almost certainly because there are no updates available for their device, not because they haven’t installed them.
If you have a device still running Android Nougat or earlier, you should consider upgrading to a new phone before Android Auto, Calendar, Chrome, and more stop working.
