Audi Will Be Natively Integrating Apple Music Into Its Vehicles
Audi will be including Apple Music in its cars' infotainment systems, allowing drivers to jam with their on-the-road playlists or podcasts without the need for any additional external devices. This makes Audi the second Volkswagen group automaker to receive the streaming music service after Porsche (the feature was added to its all-electric Taycan).
"Integrating Apple Music into the Audio infotainment system marks the next step in the collaboration between Audi and Apple," said Audi's head of product marketing Christiane Zorn. The move gives drivers more choices on using the service without being locked behind having to own devices like Apple CarPlay or sticking to Bluetooth pairing with a smartphone.
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Almost all Audi vehicle models from 2022 and newer will get Apple Music in North America, Europe, and Japan. Existing 2022 models already on the road will get the streaming service automatically via an over-the-air software update. After the update, owners can easily locate and open the Apple Music icon on their Audi's infotainment screen. It'll prompt instructions to log in with an Apple ID and enter a verification code.
Apple launched Apple Music on Android in 2015 and added apps to other platforms like Amazon Fire TV, and PS5, with the most recent being Roku. When it came to automakers, Apple preferred them to incorporate CarPlay over a native infotainment option. However, now that CarPlay is widely available in nearly every new vehicle, Apple is likely no longer anxious about the continued adoption of its iPhone integration system.
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A major exception to this integration is Tesla as the electric vehicle company hasn't appeared to show any interest in adding Apple's CarPlay to its models. It uses its own operating system to run music streaming apps. Although, Tesla does include the services of Spotify and Tidal.
