Car manufacturer Audi has announced that it will integrate Apple Music into its infotainment system across nearly all its new models.
MANY Audi owners will soon get a surprise – integration with Apple Music! The German car maker announced that it is integrating Apple Music, a premium music streaming subscription service, directly into its new car models – starting with the 2022 model year.
Apple Music integration will give all the Audi owners the ability to access their subscription directly and intuitively from the Multi-Media Interface (MMI) screen, leveraging in-car data connection, with no need for Bluetooth, a wired connection, or Apple CarPlay.
Christiane Zorn, Head of Product Marketing at Audi said: “Integrating Apple Music into the Audio infotainment system marks the next step in the collaboration between Audi and Apple.
“For our customers, it means that we are offering them direct access to their own personalised listening experience. This is our understanding of a premium digital in-car experience. At Audi, we are systematically driving the digitalisation of the vehicle and we are convinced that the interior is increasingly developing into a third living space.”
The integration with Apple Music will be included in nearly all Audi vehicles in Europe, North America and Japan – starting with the 2022 model year. Also, it will be conveniently rolled out to vehicles already on the road via an automatic over-the-air update.
To activate Apple Music, you simply need to open the app in your Audi’s infotainment system and follow the on-screen instructions to log in with the Apple ID you use for Apple Music. To finish the setup process, you will need to enter a verification code that is sent to your phone.
After linking the active account with the streaming service, you won’t have to bother trying to physically connect your phone. And also, you will have access to Apple Music’s full catalogue of 90 million songs, and tens of thousands of playlists, including hundreds of new mood and activity playlists, personalised mixes, and genre stations – all ad-free.
Although, this integration does not replace CarPlay. Audi says that Audi drivers will continue to be able to connect their iPhones, either wirelessly or via USB, to get Apple Maps, Siri, and make calls.
For Audi drivers in Europe, the first 3GB of data used for streaming will be free and after that, they will be billed the subsequent cellular data streaming costs through a data package available from Cubic-Telekom.
Audi is not the first manufacturer to integrate Apple Music directly into its infotainment system. Many car makers are now moving to integrate more applications directly into the infotainment system of cars.
Porsche first announced the feature in 2019 before expanding to other services like Apple Podcasts. And, Mercedes also began to roll out Apple Music integration last year.
Similarly, Volvo, and its all-electric brand Polestar, have adopted a Google-based software system that allows users to install Spotify and other apps directly. Meanwhile, Tesla took one step further by allowing its users to use the YouTube app when the car is at a standstill.