Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

[ZLoth]

From autoevolution:

Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

Android Auto and CarPlay are fantastic concepts that allow drivers to interact with the apps installed on mobile devices without getting distracted.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

The thing is... if I'm only going to be driving 5-10 minutes for an errand, what is the point in going through the effort of pairing up to Bluetooth mode and starting the app?

[MikeTheActuary]

I don't have Android Auto in my car, but my experience in rentals after I do an initial pairing has been that It Just Works.   

With my car (a 2014 Forester), Bluetooth has auto-connected with my audio system and the Echo Auto unit I have installed (I drank Jeff Bezos' Kool Aid) by the time I'm out my driveway (which, conveniently, is about when my phone gives up on the house wi-fi, and accepts that it needs to use cellular data).

I'm an oddball that never signed on with Spotify, since I joined Amazon Music back in the days when it was still possible to add your own mp3s to your subscription, and I had a rather large collection of songs/artists that weren't (and several still aren't) present on any of the streaming services.   I avoid the "listen to the same music" phenomenon by maintaining my own, rather large playlists, with names given in such a way as to minimize headaches launching them ("Alexa, shuffle my playlist, Playlist Alpha".)

For longer drives, I'm probably listening to an audiobook rather than music.   That's easy enough to launch with a couple of taps before getting into gear.

I have no desire to go back to listening to broadcast radio in the car.   And that article helped kill any temptation I might have felt about giving Spotify a try.

[Rothman]

I agree with the article, where the entire content is not reflected in the OP:  Android Auto seems set up to force people to fork out money for premium tiers of apps (e.g., YouTube).  That annoyed me on a recent rental with my first experience with it:  It doesn't just project your phone, but it's a horrible limiter of function (throw in the 2023 Honda Accord design that doesn't allow for a vent-mounted cell phone mount and the whole situation ticked me off).  I couldn't bring up just YouTube; it only allowed the premium.

Still, whether Bluetooth or Android Auto, I am concerned about the limited music selection by streaming.  Have to make a special effort to review what's playing on the radio to add to my library.

[ZLoth]

In terms of audio streaming, the preference is as follows especially since I have unlimited data on my plan:

• Plex streaming from my media server through the Plexamp app
• Apple Music (it comes with my wireless subscription)
• Radio Garden
• Amazon Music (and that's a distant fourth since I'm using the free version)

I also listen to Audible audiobooks, but that's not streaming, it's a download. Also, there are apps which you can use for playback of music that you had previously "ripped" and downloaded to your phone.

[JayhawkCO]

From autoevolution:

Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

Android Auto and CarPlay are fantastic concepts that allow drivers to interact with the apps installed on mobile devices without getting distracted.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

The thing is... if I'm only going to be driving 5-10 minutes for an errand, what is the point in going through the effort of pairing up to Bluetooth mode and starting the app?

The Bluetooth auto connects when the car starts and Spotify auto-plays if it was playing when the car was shut off.  It takes zero effort nor time. If I want to change what I'm listening to, I just hold the little Communicate button on the steering wheel and say "Play XXXX on Spotify" and it plays.

[Rothman]

From autoevolution:

Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

Android Auto and CarPlay are fantastic concepts that allow drivers to interact with the apps installed on mobile devices without getting distracted.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

The thing is... if I'm only going to be driving 5-10 minutes for an errand, what is the point in going through the effort of pairing up to Bluetooth mode and starting the app?

The Bluetooth auto connects when the car starts and Spotify auto-plays if it was playing when the car was shut off.  It takes zero effort nor time. If I want to change what I'm listening to, I just hold the little Communicate button on the steering wheel and say "Play XXXX on Spotify" and it plays.

Bluetooth connectivity depends on the make and model for me.  Sometimes have to mash a connection button to get it to work after starting up the car, even if it recognizes my device.

[JayhawkCO]

From autoevolution:

Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

Android Auto and CarPlay are fantastic concepts that allow drivers to interact with the apps installed on mobile devices without getting distracted.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

The thing is... if I'm only going to be driving 5-10 minutes for an errand, what is the point in going through the effort of pairing up to Bluetooth mode and starting the app?

The Bluetooth auto connects when the car starts and Spotify auto-plays if it was playing when the car was shut off.  It takes zero effort nor time. If I want to change what I'm listening to, I just hold the little Communicate button on the steering wheel and say "Play XXXX on Spotify" and it plays.

Bluetooth connectivity depends on the make and model for me.  Sometimes have to mash a connection button to get it to work after starting up the car, even if it recognizes my device.

Never had that issue in any of the four cars in my household that have had Bluetooth nor the ~12 cars I've rented with Bluetooth connectivity. You must just be unlucky.

[bm7]

My car is from 2009 and doesn't have bluetooth let alone any sort of phone connectivity, so I use the aux input and plug the cable into my phone's headphone jack. It takes less than 30 seconds to plug it in and start playing something on my phone, usually just the last playlist I was listening to, so I'll do it even for short drives.

[JayhawkCO]

My car is from 2009 and doesn't have bluetooth let alone any sort of phone connectivity, so I use the aux input and plug the cable into my phone's headphone jack. It takes less than 30 seconds to plug it in and start playing something on my phone, usually just the last playlist I was listening to, so I'll do it even for short drives.

In a previous car, I got one of those little cigarette lighter Bluetooth adaptors from Amazon and it worked like a charm. You just have to find some radio station that isn't being used locally. I think I used 89.3 or something.

[ZLoth]

From autoevolution:

Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

Android Auto and CarPlay are fantastic concepts that allow drivers to interact with the apps installed on mobile devices without getting distracted.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

The thing is... if I'm only going to be driving 5-10 minutes for an errand, what is the point in going through the effort of pairing up to Bluetooth mode and starting the app?

The Bluetooth auto connects when the car starts and Spotify auto-plays if it was playing when the car was shut off.  It takes zero effort nor time. If I want to change what I'm listening to, I just hold the little Communicate button on the steering wheel and say "Play XXXX on Spotify" and it plays.

Go ahead and say that it's a "First World Problem". While the Bluetooth automatically connects (after a 10-15 seconds) when I start my vehicle. I then have to push "Source" to switch from FM, past the XM, to the Bluetooth before I can play audio. Then, I have to start the app, then start whatever music or audiobook. Again, not really worth the hassle for a quick 5-10 minute run to the store. For that, the audio from the only FM Classical station will do just fine.

My car is from 2009 and doesn't have bluetooth let alone any sort of phone connectivity, so I use the aux input and plug the cable into my phone's headphone jack. It takes less than 30 seconds to plug it in and start playing something on my phone, usually just the last playlist I was listening to, so I'll do it even for short drives.

Thanks to Apple, most mobile phones save for the very low end over the past few years have eliminated the headphone jack.

In a previous car, I got one of those little cigarette lighter Bluetooth adaptors from Amazon and it worked like a charm. You just have to find some radio station that isn't being used locally. I think I used 89.3 or something.

That's an "FM modulator", and they are very limited in power and subject to interference. If you have a Aux input but not Bluetooth, you may want to look into a Bluetooth Aux Adapter instead.

[bm7]

My car is from 2009 and doesn't have bluetooth let alone any sort of phone connectivity, so I use the aux input and plug the cable into my phone's headphone jack. It takes less than 30 seconds to plug it in and start playing something on my phone, usually just the last playlist I was listening to, so I'll do it even for short drives.

In a previous car, I got one of those little cigarette lighter Bluetooth adaptors from Amazon and it worked like a charm. You just have to find some radio station that isn't being used locally. I think I used 89.3 or something.

Those work too, but sometimes they're not powerful enough for the radio to pick it up properly, especially if the antenna isn't close to it. One vehicle my family had, you needed to take off the antenna and it would work great. This was a little inconvenient however because if you wanted to listen to any commercial radio station, you'd want to put the antenna back on...