Spotify is already available in Volvos and many other vehicles through Bluetooth streaming or via Apple CarPlay integration, and several automakers have apps allowing the Spotify smartphone app to connect with the in-car infotainment system. But Volvo’s update is unique in that Spotify is integrated directly into the infotainment system, meaning it will work even without a paired smartphone, so long as the infotainment system itself has an internet connection.
Volvo says its in-car interface will be very similar to that of other Spotify apps, and that Spotify will be available in Volvos in any country where the music service exists. The system will also have a feature called Spotify Connect, allowing any passenger in the car to control the music playlist. Users must have a paid Spotify Premium account to use the function. Volvo says that using the built-in Spotify function will allow even greater music fidelity through the cars’ optional Bowers & Wilkins surround-sound system.
“Anyone that has used Spotify knows how great it is — you have access to your favorite music, all the time,” Volvo Cars senior vice president of marketing Björn Annwall said in a statement. “You can still play music from your Spotify smartphone app in your car, or you can use the in-car app, which will contain all of your favorite playlists, artists and albums.”
