Spotify's Own App Now Runs Inside Audi Cars
Spotify's full app now runs directly on Audi's in-car system, so drivers and passengers can stream music without a phone connected by Bluetooth or cable. Spotify announced the launch in a newsroom post dated 21 October 2026, and the app went live that day through the Audi Application Store, the car maker's built-in app shop.
The app starts in five Audi models: the electric A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron, plus the A5, Q5 and A6 from model year 2026. Audi says it will also arrive in the Q7 and Q9 SUVs when each of those models launches. The rollout covers 47 Audi markets across Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Once signed in, users can play Spotify through the car's screens, speakers and voice assistant. Spotify says the app is open to both Free and Premium listeners, although an Audi connect package may be needed. Audi's store has offered a Spotify version since 2023, but that earlier version was built on a fixed template. The new app is a fuller version of the service, built with Volkswagen Group software unit Cariad and runs on Android Automotive OS, Google's operating system for car screens.
The feature list includes music videos and real-time lyrics, along with Spotify Jam, which lets several people add songs to one shared playlist, and Spotify DJ, the service's personalised radio host. Some features depend on whether the car is moving. While driving, music videos and lyrics are hidden from the centre display, and sign-in and settings are unavailable. Vehicles with a front passenger screen let passengers read lyrics and watch videos on the move.
Passengers can join an in-car Jam by scanning a QR code on the screen, then add songs to the queue from their own phones. When the car is parked, including while an electric car charges, drivers can watch full-screen video podcasts and music videos on the main display.
For anyone who already uses Spotify on the road, the change means one less cable. The service now sits inside the car rather than being mirrored from a phone, and the controls appear on the vehicle's own screens.
