How to Use Amazon Music 'Car Mode' in a Car [Complete Guide]

By Adam Gorden Updated on August 28, 2025

Amazon Music is devoted to improving its services for users all around the world. While Amazon Music is making its mobile app easier to use, in 2021, a new feature called Car Mode came with an available update for iOS and Android devices.

amazon music car mode

Don't know how to stream Amazon Music in car without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, well, Amazon Music Car Mode is the perfect solution. In the post, we'll tell how to use Car Mode on Amazon Music. Also, we'll note a few of the cautions and limitations of this feature.

Part 1. How to Turn on & off Amazon Music Car Mode

Car Mode: what is "Car Mode" on Amazon Music?

Car Mode on Amazon Music is a feature added to make the mobile app easier for drivers users to use, however with a simplified interface while driving. You can tell Car Mode as the simplified version of Amazon Music app, which features easier access to the music contents than the regular version.

In Car Mode, the Amazon Music app has larger text and button, simple controls, customizable presets and voice assistance from Alexa, which should be an easier but limited process to reduce browsing while driving.

Car Mode: how to enable & disable Amazon Music Car Mode?

CAUTION: All the following processes should be done prior to driving a car.

play amazon music in car by the bluetooth

To Turn on Car Mode on Amazon Music:

The Amazon Music app will flip to Car Mode when it detects an in-car Bluetooth connection. You can also launch it prior to driving.

  • Before starting to drive, open the Amazon Music app.
  • In the upper right corner, select the menu icon > "Car Mode".
  • Under "Car Mode", turn Start Car Mode Automatically on.
  • start Car Mode automatically in Settings

  • To enter Car Mode, select the Car Mode icon on the bottom right corner.
  • enter Amazon Music Car Mode

  • To exist Car Mode, select the disable Car Mode icon in the upper left corner.
  • exist Amazon Music Car Mode

⭐Note: The icon position can be customized in the Settings between Always, In-Car Bluetooth, and Never.

To Turn off Car Mode on Amazon Music:

  • While not driving, open the Amazon Music app.
  • In the upper right corner, select Settings.
  • Under Car Mode, turn Start Car Mode Automatically off.

There are other ways to help you listen to Amazon Music in your car, even without Amazon Music car mode.

Way 1. Play Amazon Music on Car via Cable.

You can connect your phone to your car via cable if your car has AUX or USB socket. You don’t need to activate car mode on Amazon Music; just connect with a cable, and you can play Amazon Music in your car without extra worries. The only thing you need to check is using the compatible cable for connecting your vehicle.

Way 2. Play Amazon Music on Car via USB drive

Downloading music from Amazon Music to your USB drive is an intelligent way. No need to pay for Amazon Music Unlimited, no need to keep Amazon Music car mode. You can listen to your favorite tracks on Amazon Music in your car without annoying ads. You can skip to Part 4 to learn how to transfer music from Amazon Music to USB drive.

Way 3. Play Amazon Music on Car via Bluetooth

You can connect your car and your phone via Bluetooth, so that you can take your car as a streamer to play Amazon Music (if your car has Bluetooth system).

  • Open the Bluetooth on your phone.
  • Pair your phone to your car’s Bluetooth.
  • After connecting, open Amazon Music on your phone.
  • Choose the playlist you want to listen to, and it will be played on your car’s stereo.

Way 4. Play Amazon Music on Car via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto

Streaming Amazon Music on your vehicle through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is also a workable way.

📍Apple CarPlay

1. Connect your phone to your car via USB or Bluetooth.
2. Go to Settings on your phone > General > CarPlay, and tap on your car’s stereo.
3. Open Amazon Music and choose the playlist you want to play while driving. Or you can ask Siri to control the playback.

📍Android Auto

1. Go to Android Auto app on your screen.
2. Tap on General icon and scroll down to Play section and hit Customize Launcher option.
3. Select Amazon Music and add it to Android Auto Launcher.
4. And then you need to use Bluetooth or USB cable to connect Android Auto to your car. Once you follow the guide appearing in your car’s informational screen to set up Android Auto, you can start streaming Amazon Music in car via Android Auto.

Why use Android Auto:

    Streaming Amazon Music on Android Auto on car will enhance your listening experience. You can use voice to control the music search and play to ensure driving safety. The output audio quality can also improve due to the built-in equalizer.

Way 5. Play Amazon Music on Car via Built-in Alexa

If your car does not integrate with the dashboard system, you can stream Amazon Music on the built-in Alexa. Connect your phone’s Alexa to your car. And you can use Bluetooth or AUX cable to facilitate audio output from your phone to your car’s stereo. And then you can use voice commands to ask Alexa to play Amazon Music.

Way 6. Play Amazon Music on Car via FM Transmitter

1. Plug the FM transmitter into your phone, or pair it via Bluetooth if your transmitter supports.

2. Open your FM transmitter and adjust its FM frequency to allow your car to receive it on the radio.

3. Open Amazon Music on your phone, and it will be transmitted to your car’s speaker.

Part 2. How to Use Amazon Music Car Mode

This part should arise most drives' focus because it relates to the actual use of Amazon Music Car Mode.

Car Mode: how to keep phone screen active while in Car Mode?

While the app looks simpler to control the music contents in car mode, it's frustrating and unsafe to do so when the phone screen is turning black.

To keep phone screen active while in car mode, Car Mode features an app setting called "Keep Screen Active". You are able to keep the phone from going to the lock screen with this setting turned on.

To Turn on Keep Screen Active:

  • While not driving, open the Amazon Music app.
  • In the upper right corner, tap the menu icon > Settings.
  • Under "Car Mode", turn "Keep Screen Active" on.

keep screen ative in Settings

Car Mode: how to customize a Preset in Car Mode?

Presets are controls with the Amazon Music contents while in Car Mode - like PLAYLIST, STATION or ALBUM. You can manage it to make sure the simple access to the contents.

To Turn on Keep Screen Active:

  • To add a preset, please make sure to exit the Car Mode first. While outside of Car Mode, find a PLAYLIST, STATION or ALBUM in the app, then tap on the overflow menu next to it > Add to Presets.
  • To delete a preset, please enter the Car Mode, then swipe left on an existing preset.

Part 3. How to Solve Amazon Music Car Mode Not Working

  • icon

    1. Check Amazon Music playlist

    Checking the license of music on Amazon Music is essential. If Amazon Music removes the music from its catalog, this track will also be unavailable to listen to in car mode. We have found that some playlists are unlistenable in car mode if you set them private. To stream your favorite playlist smoothly, you need to public the playlist you want to listen to while driving.

  • icon

    2. Check connection

    You can forget your car connection from your car mode list, and reconnect it to fix Amazon Music car mode not working.
    If you choose to connect via Bluetooth, you can reset Bluetooth: close Bluetooth and open it to connect your phone to the car again.

  • icon

    3. Restart car mode

    Go to Amazon Music Settings > Car Mode and adjust the settings to Always or In-Car Bluetooth as desired.

  • icon

    4. Clear Amazon Music cache

    Too much cache on Amazon Music will lead to Amazon Music getting stuck. Regularly cleaning up Amazon Music cache will enhance your user experience on Amazon Music. Go to Amazon Music Settings > Storage > Clear Cache, and you will clean up Amazon Music cache.

  • Read More: Clear Amazon Music Cache on Multiple Devices? Solved!

  • icon

    5. Check for Amazon Music update

    related to your account. If you find that your Amazon Music needs to be updated, uninstall the old version and reinstall the latest Amazon Music app version from Google Play or App Store. Because the outdated version of Amazon Music will cause the car mode glitch.

  • icon

    6. Check your car stereo.

    After ensuring your phone and Amazon Music are working as usual, consider whether your car is experiencing problem. Check that your car's Bluetooth and stereo are available for playing and connecting.

  • icon

    7. Amazon contact

    Also, you can ask for Amazon Contact to seek more professional tech help.

  • https://www.amazon.com/hz/contact-us/foresight/hubgateway
    copy

Part 4. How to Get Amazon Music in a Car with Ease

You should have noticed the limitations and cautions of this feature - Amazon Music app's Car Mode is an alternative for Android Auto or CarPlay, but Amazon won't recommend using it while driving. It looks like the ideal solution for those users that want to have Amazon Music on car, but the whole process is not safe as expected.

Amazon Music Car Mode Not Working: what are the fixes?

No worries. From here we'd like to introduce another method to enable Amazon Music in car with absolute ease - via USB drive. To save efforts and time, a powerful Amazon Music converter can help download and convert the music into MP3s for the USB. You won't need the Car Mode, Amazon Music app and even the phone but have the music in the background while driving!

ViWizard: best alternative to fix Amazon Music Car Mode not working

ViWizard Amazon Music Converter is a professional tool for users to download and convert contents from Amazon Music Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited into MP3, AIFF, WAV, FLAC, M4A, and M4B. Even the most common USB can support the files above.

icon
ViWizard Amazon Music Converter

Turn Amazon Music into MP3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, M4A, M4B, and more. Keep songs offline and listen on demand with full control.

Available on:

On Windows and Mac, this ViWizard software works fine to ensure users the full access to their music contents in the Amazon Music desktop app. Please also make sure the account is connected with the app.

Step 1Launch ViWizard Amazon Music Converter

On desktop, launch ViWizard Amazon Music Converter. Wait until it launches or relaunches the Amazon Music app with the account. In Amazon Music app, select SONGS, PLAYLIST, ALBUM and more to add to ViWizard via drags-and-drops.

add amazon music songs

Step 2Customize Format Settings

To make Amazon Music contents supported in a car, some format settings must be customized in ViWizard. From the top, open the app menu > Preferences > Convert, set MP3 as the output format. You can also make the bit rate the same with Amazon Music standard 256kbps or HD Music's 356kbps. After that, use the OK button to save these settings.

select the output format

Step 3Convert Amazon Music

At the bottom of ViWizard's main interface, click the Convert button to start the conversion at 5x speed. Once the conversion completes, the output folder will pop up to browse to all the converted Amazon Music files. You can transfer them to a USB drive for car device.

convert amazon music

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