Android Auto 7.8 stops working for dozens of smartphone models, ‘phone not compatible’ error

A growing number of Android Auto users around the world are reporting that their connection has broken, leaving a “phone not compatible” error following the latest update.

Over the past few days, Android Auto 7.8.6 has rolled out widely to users around the world, and it seems to be causing major issues for quite a few people.

A trending thread on Google’s support forums highlights over 100 reports from the past four days of users who have had Android Auto stop working on their device. The issue appears to be affecting dozens of different smartphone models from multiple manufacturers.

Just at a quick scan through the various replies, we found mentions of several different Samsung smartphones such as the Galaxy S9, S10, S20, S21, S22, Note 20, and Galaxy Z Flip 3, as well as devices from Xiaomi, Asus, OnePlus, and even at least one report of a Google Pixel device.

The most common message that users report seeing is “phone not compatible” when pairing their device through the Android Auto app. What occurs on the in-car display depends on the specific make and model, but generally it is an error message of some kind or another, with a few user submissions pictured below.

The issue appears to be independent of Android version and tied only to the Android Auto 7.8.6 update.

Google representatives have replied to the thread, asking for more specifics on user reports including Android Auto version number, smartphone model, car make/model, and other relevant data. But in the past three days, Google has remained silent on the issue besides mentioning that the information has been forwarded to the Android Auto team.

If you’re having issues, sideloading an earlier version of Android Auto may solve the problem, and you can also try enrolling in the beta program. If you’re affected by this problem, drop a comment below and let us know if you’ve found anything that helps to fix it.

More on Android Auto:

• Android Auto updates have fixed blank screen issues with the Galaxy S22, Google says
• Motorola MA1 wireless Android Auto dongle gets slight price increase
• You can now get the AAWireless adapter for wireless Android Auto from Amazon