New Audi cars come with Apple Music as standard, but what’s the point?

While Android Auto and Apple CarPlay infotainment offer access to the best music streaming apps, Audi is taking things a step farther with a standalone Apple Music app.

The German automaker has announced that most recent models are gaining access to the Apple Music app. That means there’ll be no need to plug their iPhone into the car, or even connect it wirelessly. The integration is starting with new 2022 models.

An over-the-air update for Audi’s own infotainment system will introduce the app, which will require users to enter their Apple ID username and password in order to gain access to the on-the-go tunes.

Audi says European drivers will get the first 3GB of data for free, but that’s obviously not going to go very far. To go any further, drivers will need to sign up to a data plan for their car.

However, considering the same vehicles do offer CarPlay support, drivers will probably be better off using the Apple Music app that way, where they can access offline playlists, rather than taking on another data plan.

It’s debatable whether accessing through the standalone app for Audi vehicles is actually even that useful in this instance, considering access to navigation apps like Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze are also available via CarPlay.

However, if you just want to keep your phone free, then it might be more convenient to access the app via the home-baked infotainnment system.

“Integrating Apple Music into the Audio infotainment system marks the next step in the collaboration between Audi and Apple,” said Christiane Zorn, Head of Product Marketing at Audi, in a press release.

“For our customers, it means that we are offering them direct access to their own personalised listening experience. This is our understanding of a premium digital in-car experience. At Audi we are systematically driving the digitalisation of the vehicle and we are convinced that the interior is increasingly developing into a third living space.”