Audi cars to get Apple Music

Audi is adding Apple Music to its cars' infotainment systems, allowing drivers to listen to their playlists and catch up on podcasts without needing additional equipment. It's the second Volkswagen Group automaker to have an integrated streaming music service, a feature Porsche has already added to its all-electric Taycan.

"The integration of Apple Music into the audio infotainment system marks the next step in the partnership between Audi and Apple," said Christiane Zorn, head of product marketing at Audi. This suggests that Apple would prefer to hand over the keys to its music-streaming platform to automakers, giving drivers more options when using the service, rather than being forced to use Apple CarPlay or use their smartphone's Bluetooth.

Nearly all Audi 2022 and newer models will get Apple Music in North America, Europe and Japan. 2022 models currently on the road will get it via an automatic over-the-air software update. Once the update is complete, owners will be able to find the Apple Music icon on the Audi infotainment screen, turn it on and follow the instructions to log in with their Apple ID and enter a verification code.

Apple knew it needed to add its music service to multiple platforms to challenge the market dominance of rival Spotify. It launched Apple Music on Android in 2015 and has added the app to other platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, PS5 and, most recently, Roku. But for automakers, Apple prefers their integrated CarPlay over a native infotainment solution. Given that CarPlay is available on almost every new car on the market, Apple may no longer be concerned about adoption of its iPhone integration system.

Tesla is one of the main opponents of Apple's integration. The electric car maker doesn't show the same interest in adding CarPlay as other automakers, preferring to use its own operating system to run music apps. Teslas offers services like Spotify and Tidal, and while there were signs that Apple Music was in beta, it never materialized.