We’ve known the day would come since last year: Google plans to drop the version of Android Auto for phones, so that Android Auto is used only in the car. Since then, Google has been warning us with warning messages, but nothing like the last message that appears occupying almost the entire screen when we try to use Android Auto for phones.
Those who could still open Android Auto for phones -due to using an old version of Android- have been in for an unpleasant surprise as a huge message is displayed indicating that Android Auto for phones will be out soon. Although we already knew that the day would come, this warning tells us that the day is very close and, in addition, it is a separate annoyance for those who continued to use it today.
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Android Auto for phones is leaving
First of all, let’s clarify the situation. Android Auto does not disappear: what disappears is the version of Android Auto for phones, the one that runs a simplified interface on the mobile with which you can open routes, control music and much more. Said interface has long been abandoned to its fate while Google focuses its efforts on Android Auto for car screens, commonly called the projected mode.
Today it’s hard to keep using Android Auto for phones Well, the application cannot be downloaded for the latest versions of Android and, even if you install it from its APK, it does not open. Instead, the Android Auto settings are opened, where a text is included at the top warning that Android Auto becomes available only on car screens.
The thing changes if you have a mobile with an old version of Android, where Android Auto appears as an application in the application drawer. In these terminals, the Android Auto application continues to open the phone mode by default, and for now it was still working as usualbeyond the fact that the application did not receive a single novelty for years.
The only change was that Android Auto settings included a small notice that Android Auto is on its way out and you should try Google Assistant Driving Mode instead. Now, the warning is much clearerincluding itself very large on the Android Auto screen itself, at the top.
For now it is possible to discard the cardbut a warning of this size is a clear indication that the Android Auto apocalypse for phones is just around the corner and we can expect that, at some point, the interface will stop working forever, both on old phones and in the new ones.
The closure of Android Auto for phones still has some unknowns, because Google Assistant driving mode is not available in all countries and not for all versions of Android either. It requires Android 9.0 or higher, so those who use an Android version between 6.0 and 9.0 will be left without Android Auto for phones and also without driving mode. The only solution to have something similar will be to use third-party applications, such as HeadUnit Reloaded.
