You're getting ready to hit the road, phone in hand, and wondering how to get your music playing seamlessly in the car. Android Auto makes it easy to access navigation, calls, and audio with its simplified, driver-friendly interface. But what about Apple Music? If you're an Android user who loves Apple Music, you might be unsure if the two can work together.
Here's the good news: Apple Music is fully compatible with Android Auto. That means you can take your playlists, albums, and favorite songs along for the ride, all while staying focused on the road.
In this post, we'll walk you through setting up Apple Music on Android Auto, navigating its features, and getting the most out of your listening experience while driving. Let's get started!
Step 1: Set Up Apple Music and Android Auto
For anyone not familiar with Android Auto, it's important to check a few things first. Make sure your Android phone, the Apple Music app, and Android Auto are updated, and that your Apple Music subscription is active. Setting these up correctly ensures a smooth experience when you start using Apple Music in your car.
Prerequisites:
- Android phone running Android 10 or newer
- Apple Music app installed from Google Play
- Active Apple Music subscription (~$11.99/month)
- Android Auto app installed
- Car or stereo that supports Android Auto
- Phone connected to car via USB or wireless
Step 1 Open the Google Play Store, search for Apple Music, and install the app (ignore or close any pop-ups that appear during installation). Once it finishes, open the app and sign in with your Apple ID.
Step 2 Open the Apple Music app and check that your subscription is active (Account Settings > Subscriptions). If you do not have a subscription, you can start a free trial, which will automatically convert to a $11.99 per month plan after the trial ends.
Step 3 Open the Play Store again, search for Android Auto, and install or update it if needed (some newer devices already have it built in). Once installed, open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
Step 4 When Android Auto asks for permissions, allow access to Apple Music and media. This is the key step to let the app appear in Android Auto and function as it should.
Step 2: Connect Your Phone to the Car
Now that your apps are ready, it's time to link your phone to your car. You have two main options: USB cable or Bluetooth. Most users find that a USB connection offers the most reliable and hassle-free setup, but wireless options are becoming more popular if your car supports them.
Option 1: USB Connection
Using a USB cable is the most reliable. It gives smooth audio and full Android Auto controls for browsing your library, switching playlists, and using voice commands.
Step 1 Plug a USB cable into your car's USB port.
Step 2 Plug the other end of the cable into your Android phone.
Step 3 If your phone asks to allow Android Auto access, tap Allow.
Step 4 If Android Auto does not start automatically, open the Android Auto app on your phone.
Option 2: Wireless Connection
Bluetooth is easier since you don't need a cable, but playlists and album artwork may load slower, and the connection can sometimes drop.
Step 1 Turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your phone.
Step 2 On your car display, select Add new device or Pair phone.
Step 3 On your phone, select your car from the Bluetooth list, enter the PIN if required, and confirm the connection.
Step 4 Android Auto should launch automatically, or tap the Android Auto icon on the car display.
Step 3: Stream Apple Music on Android Auto
Once connected, Apple Music appears through Android Auto. Your phone handles buffering, network management, and caching, while the car screen shows controls and track information. Tap Apple Music to access Listen Now, Library, Playlists, and Recently Played. Some mobile features, like adding songs to your library or marking favorites, aren't available, and scrolling large playlists may be a little slow. Even so, Apple Music covers the basics well for listening while driving.
Streaming uses your phone's data unless tracks are downloaded, so keep an eye on your plan during long trips. If playback stutters, it is usually caused by your phone or network, not the car.
Step 1 On your car display, open the Apps or Media Launcher.
Step 2 Tap the Apple Music icon.
Step 3 Tap Library, Playlists, Radio, Listen Now, or Recently Played to find the music you want.
Step 4 Tap a song, album, or playlist to start playback through your car speakers.
Step 4: Control Apple Music with Google Assistant
Google Assistant makes driving safer by letting you control Apple Music hands-free. Say something like, "Hey Google, play my Chill playlist on Apple Music," and it will start playing while you keep your eyes on the road. Assistant sends commands from Android Auto to Apple Music on your phone, which then streams the music to your car.
Step 1 Press and hold the voice command button on your steering wheel, or tap the microphone icon on the car display.
Step 2 Say a command, such as:
- "Hey Google, play Apple Music"
- "Hey Google, play my [playlist name]"
- "Hey Google, shuffle my library"
Step 3 Google Assistant will execute the command and control playback without touching the screen.
Step 5: Play Apple Music Offline on Android Auto
To avoid using mobile data, download songs in the Apple Music app before driving.
Option 1: Download Apple Music Directly on Android
Connect to Wi-Fi at home, then select your favorite playlists or albums to download. Make sure downloads are complete before leaving to avoid interruptions while on the road.
Step 1 Open the Apple Music app on your phone.
Step 2 Navigate to the song, album, or playlist you want to save.
Step 3 Tap Add if it's not already in your library.
Step 4 Tap the Download button (downward arrow icon) to save it to your device.
Step 5 Connect your phone to Android Auto.
Step 6 On the car display, open Apple Music and tap Library > Downloaded Music.
Step 7 Tap any downloaded track or playlist to play it offline.
Option 2: Convert and Transfer Apple Music to Android Devices
If you plan to use Apple Music on Android Auto regularly, a reliable option is to convert your tracks to a format your car can play directly. Converting Apple Music to a universal format like MP3 lets you enjoy your favorite music even in areas with weak signals and saves on mobile data.
For this, you'll need an Apple Music downloader like ViWizard Apple Music Converter. It lets you save Apple Music songs, albums, playlists, and even your entire library in formats like MP3, WAV, M4A, M4B, AIFF, or FLAC while preserving the original listening experience. Connect your Apple Music library to ViWizard, and it will save your music as transferable files to your computer. From there, you can move them to a USB drive, Android smartphone, or tablet to take to your car or anywhere.
Now you can listen to your favorite Apple Music tracks in your car without relying on a subscription.
Key Features of ViWizard Apple Music Converter
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- Convert Apple Music songs, albums, playlists, and artists into MP3 for easy access
- Preserve lossless audio, high-resolution lossless, and Dolby Atmos quality
- Strip DRM from Apple Music for unrestricted offline listening
- Save converted audio files while retaining full ID3 tag details
Step 1 Download and install ViWizard Apple Music Converter on your computer.
Step 2 Open ViWizard and, if prompted, sign in with the Apple ID linked to your music library.
Step 3 Browse your library in ViWizard and click the + button or drag and drop the songs, albums, or playlists you want to convert.
Step 4 Click Preferences, go to the Conversion section, and select MP3 as the output format.
Step 5 Set the bitrate to 256 kbps or 320 kbps if you want higher-quality audio.
Step 6 Click Convert to remove DRM and save the songs as MP3 files.
Step 7 When conversion is complete, open the output folder to find your new MP3 files.
Step 8 Connect a USB drive to your computer, then copy the MP3 files from the output folder to the USB drive.
Step 9 Alternatively, connect your Android phone via USB and move the MP3 files to a folder on your device.
Step 10 Plug the USB drive into your car or open your phone's media player in the car, then browse to the MP3 files to play your music offline.
Pro Tip: Troubleshoot Common Apple Music Issues on Android Auto
Even with everything set up, problems can happen. If Apple Music does not appear or playback has issues, update the apps, restart your phone and car, and check permissions. Switching between USB and Bluetooth can help if the connection is unstable. Remember that Android Auto relies on your phone and internet, so most problems can be solved by checking your phone and app settings.
Summary
You can play Apple Music on Android Auto by the Apple Music app directly. But this way will cost your phone's data and you may not get a good listening experience due to the signal. The ultimate solution is to play Apple Music on Android Auto offline with ViWizard Audio Converter. With this tool, you can remove the playback limit of Apple Music for playing on Android Auto offline.
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Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
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