Audi has become the first automaker to offer a dedicated Spotify in-car app, a product co-developed by Spotify and Cariad, Volkswagen Group’s automotive software company. The Audi Spotify app is a ground-up build rather than an adaptation of the template-based version already available on Android Automotive, the platform used by brands including Renault and Volvo.
A Different Kind of Car App
The distinction matters. The existing Spotify app for Android Automotive relies on standardized layouts and controls, and those constraints limit many Spotify features. Android Auto and CarPlay, meanwhile, are smartphone projection systems with their own capability limits. Audi’s new app is native, not template-based and not projected from a phone.
Its layout resembles the desktop Spotify experience, using the large infotainment screens fitted to Audi vehicles. Jonathan Tarlton, Spotify’s Automotive Business Development Lead, said Spotify controlled all design aspects, describing the result as entirely Spotify. The visual impression is cleaner than the Android Automotive OS version, according to the brief.
Passenger Screens Get the Full Show
The app’s most distinctive feature is how it splits functionality between screens. Passenger screens can display music videos and real-time lyrics while the vehicle is moving. They also support QR codes for listening parties and playlists, giving passengers a way to interact with what is playing.
The central display is more restricted. It blocks video and lyrics while the car is in motion, a safety measure. Those restrictions apply only while driving, so the central screen can still handle music selection and playback controls.
Audi says the app is the first native in-car app to combine music videos, real-time lyrics, Spotify Jam and Spotify DJ. Jam and DJ are social and personalized listening features that the template-based app does not offer in the same form.
Voice Control and Sign-In
Music can be controlled through Audi’s AI-powered voice assistant. Drivers can switch playlists and search for tracks using the command “Hey Audi.” Audi says the voice assistant works seamlessly for music control.
The app is free to download from the Audi Application Store. Users need a Spotify account and a smartphone to sign in initially. Beyond that, the brief does not specify regional availability, data requirements or whether any subscription beyond a standard Spotify account is needed.
What Remains Unclear
Audi has not said which models will receive the app or when it will be available. The automaker also has not announced whether the app will come to other Volkswagen Group brands, leaving the rollout beyond Audi unconfirmed. Pricing after the free download is likewise unspecified.
What is clear is that the app represents a shift from template and projection approaches to a native, screen-aware Spotify experience. For passengers, that means video and lyrics on the move; for drivers, it means voice-led control and a central screen that stays within safety limits.
[…] Audi Debuts First Native Spotify App, With Music Videos and Lyrics for Passengers […]