How to fix Spotify not working on Android Auto?

coco

July 26, 2024

Android Auto is designed with safety in mind. It has a simple and intuitive interface with integrated steering wheel controls and powerful new voice operation designed to minimize distractions so you can stay focused on the road. With access to millions of songs and podcasts on Spotify, you can find the perfect soundtrack for your trip. When you connect your Android phone to a compatible vehicle or radio, Android Auto will display Spotify on the vehicle’s screen.

Contents

• Part 1. How can I use Spotify in Android Auto?
• Part 2. How to fix Spotify not working on Android Auto?
• Part 3. Pro and Cons of playing Spotify on Android Auto
• Part 4. How to Play Spotify free without ads on Android Auto?

Part 1. How can I use Spotify in Android Auto?

To use Android Auto, you need an Android Auto compatible vehicle or aftermarket radio and an Android phone running 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher.

1. Make sure your car or stereo is compatible with Android Auto(https://www.android.com/auto/compatibility/).
2. If you have Android 9 or below, get the Android Auto app on your phone. (Download it here.) With Android 10, Android Auto is built in – so you don’t need the app to get started.
3. Connect your phone to your car with a USB cable and see Android Auto on your dashboard display. If your car display supports wireless connection, you must pair your phone with your car’s bluetooth for set-up. After set-up, depending on your car, either the phone will automatically connect or the Android Auto app icon will appear on your car display.
4. Open the Spotify app on your phone. Return to the Android Auto app, you should see Spotify listed as one of the available apps.
5. Tap on it to start using it through Android Auto.

Part 2. How to fix Spotify not working on Android Auto?

1. Developer settings

If Spotify doesn’t show up in the Android Auto Menu, follow below steps:

• Launch the Android Auto app.  
• Tap the top left menu and select About.
• Tap Version 10 times to Allow development settings. Tap the three-dots icon on the top right corner and check if there’s Developer settings. 
• Select Developer settings and scroll down to Enable Unknown sources.

2. Restart Your Phone

1. Go to Settings on your phone and tap on Apps (or Applications depending on the version of Android OS).
2. Locate and tap on Spotify.
3. Tap ‘FORCE STOP.’
4. Restart your phone and try connecting Spotify with Android Auto again.

3. Reinstall Spotify app

1. Press and hold the Spotify app icon from the Home Screen on your phone, tap Uninstall.
2. Reboot your phone to refresh the system.
3. Go to Google Play Store, search for Spotify and install it again on your device.
4. Reconnect Spotify with Android Auto.

4. Clear Spotify Cache

1. Go to Settings on your phone and tap on Apps (or Applications depending on the version of Android OS).
2. Locate and tap on Spotify.
3. Tap ‘Storage.’
4. Tap ‘Clear Cache.’

5. Set Spotify as Default Music Service

To make Spotify the default player manually:

1. Go to Google app – Settings – Google Assistant on the Android phone.
2. Tap on Service – Music.
3. Select Spotify to set it as the default music service.

6.Disable Battery Optimization for Spotify

1. Go to Settings on your Android device.
2. Search for Battery Optimization(Optimize Battery Usage).
3. Search for the Spotify app from the list and tap on it.
4. Disable Battery Optimization.

8. Start Spotify on phone first

If you get black screen and can’t control Spotify from your vehicle, the workaround is to start Spotify on phone and leave it running on display before connecting with usb to Android Auto.

Part 3. Pro and Cons of playing Spotify on Android Auto

Pros

1. Play Spotify from the car screen

See what’s playing right from your car’s touch screen. You can play music, listen to podcast, audiobooks. It all shows up right on the screen here.

2. Control Spotify from steering wheel

You don’t have to worry about clicking though your phone and being on your phone while you are using the Spotify app.

Cons

1. Phone temperature with wireless Android Auto

Android phones can get hot when used wirelessly connected to the Android Auto head unit. The situation becomes especially bad when using the in-car wireless charger and wireless Android Auto at the same time, as the phone can become too hot to charge.

2. Spotify interrupted by phone call

Many people complain that Spotify will stop playing music completely after you get a call or send out a call when connected through Android Auto and using Spotify. You will have to unplug and replug the phone to get the music back.

3. Mobile Data Consumption

Streaming music on Spotify consumes a lot of mobile data, which can be a problem if you don’t have an unlimited data plan.

Part 4. How to Play Spotify free without ads on Android Auto?

However, Android Auto doesn’t work so stably. Many users complain that “it stops connecting at random times during my drive and then says device is not supported”, “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t”. Besides, if you don’t have Spotify premium you will be interrupted by ads and limited to shuffle play. The best way to play Spotify music in the car is to download Spotify music to mp3 and save them on your phone. Turn on Local Files on Spotify and Spotify will play them as local songs. All you need is Pazu Spotify Converter.

Pazu Spotify Converter is a professional Spotify music downloader for you to download Spotify songs, albums, playlists and podcasts to common formats including MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF with 100% original quality preserved. After downloading, all ID3 tags and metadata, including title, artwork, artist, album, and track number, will be retained. To learn how to download Spotify music to your computer with a free account, here is a quick and short tutorial you need to follow.

Key features of Pazu Spotify Converter:

• Download Spotify songs, albums, playlists and podcast with either Spotify free or premium account.
• Built-in Spotify web player, no Spotify app needed.
• Download Spotify to MP3 in 320kbps.
• Multiple output formats: MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF.
• Keep all ID3 tags.
• Rename Spotify songs with title, album, artist, etc.
• Archive downloaded songs by album or artist.
• Multilingual interface.

1. Run Pazu Spotify Converter

Download, install and run Pazu Spotify Converter on your Mac or Windows. Log in your Spotify account with the built-in web player.

2. Choose output format

Click the ” Options ” button on the top right corner. Here you can select output format (MP3/M4A/AAC/FLAC/WAV/AIFF), output quality, customize the output path, organize the output files in various ways, rename output files and more.

3. Select Spotify songs, albums or playlists

Select the songs, album or playlist you want to download. Spotify Converter will detect and display all songs. Uncheck the songs you don’t want to download if there are any. Click “Show All” icon to toggle “Hide Converted” on in case some songs have been downloaded before.

4. Download and Convert Spotify Songs to Local

Click Convert button to start downloading the Spotify songs to your local computer.

5. Transfer Spotify mp3 songs to USB drive iPhone/iPad

Sync the downloaded Spotify songs to USB drive and then play them offline from your car’s USB port. You can also get rid of ads without upgrading to Spotify premium.