Samsung Galaxy and Note phones now support wireless Android Auto

For many people, there has been an inherent problem with the functionality of the wirelessly linked Android Auto operating system: Only two extremely specific models of phones were compatible with the useful technology. Fortunately, that has changed, and owners of Samsung's flagship phones can now use the option.

According to an Android Auto help page, which was discovered by Android Police and aggregated by XDA Developers, Samsung Galaxy and Samsung Note owners just gained the ability to connect to their car's infotainment systems using wireless Android Auto. This includes the Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy S10 and S10+, Note 8, Note 9, and Note 10. All devices must be running Android 9.0 or higher to work properly. It must also have the version 4.7 of the Android Auto app.

This is major news considering the popularity of Samsung devices. Prior to the new updates, only Google phones worked. The previous list was limited to the Google Nexus 5X and Google Nexus 6P, and the first-, second- and third-generations of the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL. All of those phones ran on Android 8.0 or higher.

Hopefully, this will open the gates to eventually include more Samsung devices, and in turn to more Android-powered smartphones from other manufacturers. Until then, Android Auto is limited to people who can afford flagship devices.