Audi becomes first brand to run Spotify's native in-car app, starting with A6 and Q6 e-tron

Audi is the first automaker to offer Spotify as a fully native in-car app, built directly into its infotainment system with no phone, cable or Bluetooth connection required. The app is available now in the United States on the A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron electric models, plus the A5, Q5 and A6 combustion models from model year 2026 onwards.

It runs on vehicles built on Audi's Premium Platform Electric and Premium Platform Combustion architectures, and Audi says more current and future models on those platforms will follow, though it has not named additional nameplates yet.

What makes this Spotify app different

Spotify has offered an app for Google's Android Automotive infotainment systems before, but that version was a headless setup: Spotify supplied the data, playlists and catalogue while Google's design guidelines dictated how the interface looked. The new app is headful, meaning Spotify draws the entire interface itself rather than working inside a template or framework.

"We're drawing all the pixels," Jonathan Tarlton, Spotify's Automotive Business Development Lead, said in an interview quoted by The Verge. "We own the user experience. So we're not in a template or a framework. It's 100 percent Spotify."

That freedom lets the app use hardware that phone-projection systems cannot reach, such as passenger displays and in-car video, which is the practical reason Audi's cars can do more with Spotify than a CarPlay or Android Auto session allows.

How to install it and what it costs

Owners download the app free from the Audi Application Store on the car's infotainment system. Signing in requires a smartphone once, to scan an on-screen QR code, after which the in-car experience is decoupled from personal devices. Playback needs a Spotify Free or Premium account, the same as on a phone, and the app itself carries no charge.

Audi plans to roll the feature out across 47 markets spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia. Availability and specific features can vary by region, so the experience in Germany may not match what arrives in the US immediately.

Driving mode versus parked mode

Audi split the experience in two to stay within driver distraction rules. While the car is moving, drivers get the core Spotify menus, playback controls and voice commands through "Hey Audi" or Spotify DJ, and sign-in and settings are locked out entirely. Video waits until the vehicle is stationary, and richer visual elements such as scrolling lyrics are limited on the main screen while driving.

Park the car and the main MMI display opens up: full-screen video podcasts, music videos and live lyrics become available, including while an EV is charging. Spotify Jam lets passengers scan a QR code to join a shared session and add songs to the queue from their own phones.

Cars fitted with a separate passenger display skip most of those restrictions, because that screen sits outside the driver's view. A front passenger can browse content, read lyrics or watch video while the car is in motion. The catch is that the most distinctive features depend on hardware not every qualifying model carries, so buyers after the full experience should check whether a passenger screen is fitted before ordering.

Spotify is not abandoning phone projection

Spotify said it remains "heavily invested" in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wants to offer users a choice of how they access the service, whether they are tied to iOS or Android on the phone. Audi is the first automaker to ship the new app, and more manufacturers are expected to join in future, though none have been named.

For drivers, the appeal is convenience rather than new content: the same account and catalogue, minus the pairing routine at the start of every journey. The bigger shift is architectural. A carmaker handing a third party full control of its on-screen interface is a departure from the template-bound approach that has defined in-car apps so far, and it gives Spotify a template for deals with other brands.

Seattle plans to install up to 200 new curbside Level 2 EV chargers across the city by 2030, with residents invited to apply for sites where the chargers should go. The project is aimed at electric car owners who live in multifamily buildings and who often lack off-street parking.

Applications for new locations are open now on the Seattle City Light portal and will remain open until fall 2027, when installation is scheduled to begin.

How the sites will be chosen

Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation will review resident applications and select locations in batches of 40 to 50 at a time, on an ongoing basis. Design work and permitting for the sites will start in spring 2027, followed by the first installations in fall 2027. Each site is expected to see about two weeks of active construction, and all locations are due to be online by 2030.

The city has not yet named specific streets or neighbourhoods for the chargers; those will be determined through the application and review process. Areas near multifamily housing that are not already served by curbside chargers will be prioritised. The programme will also use a "walk score" metric to place new sites near businesses and parks, which the city says leads to higher utilisation rates, and communities that suffer from pollution and have experienced underinvestment will also be on the priority list.

Pilot results and funding

The programme follows a pilot that deployed 58 chargers at 31 locations across Seattle in 2023 and 2024. In the last year alone, those chargers were used 45,000 times, according to SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali, quoted by The Seattle Times.

The new chargers will be paid for by the $1.55 billion Seattle Transportation Levy approved by voters in 2024. Of the $32 million dedicated to electrification in the levy, roughly $21 million will go to the 200 curbside chargers, with an additional $2 million from Seattle City Light. Charging at the city's existing curbside chargers currently costs $0.21 per kilowatt-hour, with a peak power output of 9.6 kilowatts.

Why curbside charging matters in Seattle

Over half of all homes in Seattle are apartments or condominiums, which often do not have off-street parking. That makes charging inconvenient for EV owners, who sometimes have to rely on costlier DC fast chargers near shopping centres or major traffic corridors. Curbside charging addresses the problem because the stalls are closer to home and a car can stay connected for multiple hours without affecting other drivers.

The approach is widespread in Europe, and American cities are slowly adopting it too: besides Seattle, New York City, Detroit and San Francisco are deploying more EV chargers in residential areas.

The catch is that curbside Level 2 charging is slower than DC fast charging, so it suits overnight or long-stay parking rather than quick top-ups on a journey. For apartment dwellers, though, a charger within walking distance of home is the difference between owning an EV and not. The city's decision to let residents nominate sites is a practical way to direct limited levy money to the blocks where the need is greatest, though the 2027 start means the first new stalls are still years away.