Does YouTube Music work on CarPlay?
What is CarPlay?
CarPlay is Apple’s in-car platform that integrates iOS devices with a vehicle’s infotainment system. It allows iPhone users to access certain apps, make calls, send and receive messages, listen to music, get directions optimized for driving, and more through the vehicle’s built-in display.
CarPlay was first announced by Apple in 2014 and launched with a number of automaker partners. Since then, adoption has grown steadily. As of 2020, over 80% of new cars sold in the United States support CarPlay.
When an iPhone is connected to a CarPlay-enabled vehicle, the CarPlay interface appears on the in-dash screen, allowing users to control core iPhone functions in a simplified manner optimized for driving. This allows drivers to access key apps and services more safely without being excessively distracted from the road.
What is YouTube Music?
YouTube Music is a streaming music service created and operated by YouTube and Google. It allows users to stream official songs, albums, playlists, music videos, remixes, covers, and live performances on demand. The service offers both an ad-supported free tier and a paid subscription model called YouTube Music Premium.
Some key features of YouTube Music include:
- Access to over 80 million official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio stations
- Intelligent search that finds official songs, covers, remixes and live versions
- Smart recommendations personalized for each user based on listening history and preferences
- Ad-free, background, and offline playback with YouTube Music Premium subscription
- Original content such as behind-the-scenes footage, demos, interviews and live concerts
As the name suggests, YouTube Music allows users to tap into YouTube’s vast catalog of music content in one dedicated app and service. It provides official streaming while also monetizing user-generated content and remixes. According to Google, YouTube Music has over 50 million tracks available including hard-to-find rarities, making it comparable to other major services like Apple Music and Spotify.
Does YouTube Music work natively with CarPlay?
Unfortunately, the YouTube Music app is not currently available natively on Apple CarPlay according to Google’s support page here. This means there is no official YouTube Music app that you can access directly through your CarPlay screen.
CarPlay allows iPhone users to access certain apps and features safely through their car’s infotainment system. Many popular audio apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and Amazon Music are integrated with CarPlay. However, YouTube Music is a notable exception since Google has not made the app CarPlay compatible yet.
Without native integration, iPhone users cannot launch or control YouTube Music playback directly from their CarPlay screen. The audio will continue to play from the phone, but the CarPlay display does not provide any interface to browse, search, or change tracks within YouTube Music.
This omission is likely frustrating for YouTube Music subscribers who want full access to the service’s music library and features while driving. Unfortunately, Google has not yet announced plans to add YouTube Music support to CarPlay in the future.
Workarounds to use YouTube Music on CarPlay
Although YouTube Music does not natively integrate with CarPlay, there are some workarounds iPhone users can try to access and control YouTube Music while driving. One option is to stream music from your iPhone to your car’s speakers over Bluetooth. As long as your car stereo supports Bluetooth connectivity, you can pair your iPhone and play audio through your car speakers. This allows you to pull up the YouTube Music app on your iPhone and play songs, albums, playlists, etc. through your car’s speakers. Just remember to connect Bluetooth before starting the car and to avoid looking at or controlling your phone while driving.
Another workaround is using Siri voice commands to control YouTube Music playback on your iPhone (per source). Saying commands like “Hey Siri, play my liked songs on YouTube Music” will start playback from your iPhone. You can then use additional Siri commands like “Hey Siri, next song” to skip tracks. This voice control workaround allows you to queue up music and control playback on your iPhone hands-free while connected to CarPlay. Just be sure your iPhone is in a stable location for Siri to hear you clearly.
Pros of Integrating YouTube Music with CarPlay
One of the biggest advantages of using YouTube Music with CarPlay is the ability to access your full YouTube Music library and playlists directly from your car’s dashboard. As noted on CarPlayer, the CarPlay interface for YouTube Music is very robust, allowing you to browse and play all of your music just like you would on your phone.
With the YouTube Music app integrated natively into CarPlay, you can easily control music playback right from your car’s touchscreen system or steering wheel controls. This makes it much simpler and safer to queue up music while driving, without having to handle your phone.
Overall, having seamless access to YouTube Music’s full catalog of over 70 million official songs, albums, thousands of playlists, and music videos via CarPlay’s interface is a major benefit for users who rely on YouTube Music for their listening needs while driving.
Cons of lack of integration
One of the biggest downsides of YouTube Music’s lack of native integration with CarPlay is the inability to easily control playback from your car’s interface. With the official YouTube Music app not supported on CarPlay, you have to control music playback directly from your phone rather than your car’s touchscreen or steering wheel controls. This can be dangerous and illegal if you try changing songs or looking at your phone while driving, so it’s a major inconvenience compared to other services like Apple Music that fully integrate.
Additionally, with the lack of integration, important metadata like the song title, artist, and album art do not display on your car’s screen or dashboard. You’re left with a blank or generic display that doesn’t provide any useful information. Having rich information displayed in your car’s interface is a core part of the CarPlay experience, so the lack of metadata from YouTube Music is a significant omission.
According to discussions on Apple’s support forums, some users have had partial integration working at times, but found that playback control and metadata display was still very inconsistent compared to other services (source). Given YouTube Music’s status as a major streaming service, its lack of full CarPlay support is a frequently cited pain point.
Comparison to Other Streaming Services
Unlike YouTube Music, other major music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have native integration with CarPlay. This means you can easily access your playlists, albums, artists and more directly through the CarPlay interface without any workarounds.
For example, Spotify has a dedicated CarPlay app that appears on your vehicle’s dashboard screen. You can browse featured playlists, search for artists or songs, and control playback all from the Spotify CarPlay app (Medium). Similarly, Apple Music is baked right into CarPlay as a default music app, giving you full access to your Apple Music library and recommendations.
Other services like Pandora and Amazon Music also have CarPlay integration, allowing you to stream from them seamlessly. The lack of native YouTube Music support puts it at a disadvantage compared to competitors when it comes to the in-car listening experience. However, there are some workarounds to still access YouTube Music on CarPlay, which will be covered next.
Workarounds Using 3rd Party Apps
Since YouTube Music does not natively integrate with CarPlay, some users have turned to third party apps as a workaround. One of the most popular options is an app called CarBridge. CarBridge allows you to display and control any iOS app on your CarPlay screen, including YouTube Music.
To use CarBridge, you first need to jailbreak your iPhone. Then you can install CarBridge and grant it the necessary permissions. Once set up, CarBridge creates a virtual display on your CarPlay screen that mirrors your iPhone. This allows you to open the YouTube Music app on your phone and see it displayed on your car’s touchscreen.
Users report that CarBridge works well for streaming YouTube Music through CarPlay. The main downside is that you do lose some of the native CarPlay integration and controls. But overall it provides a functional workaround until Google and Apple add official support.
The future of YouTube Music on CarPlay
Despite the current lack of official integration, there is hope that YouTube Music could be fully supported on CarPlay in the future through official updates. Many users have expressed frustration with the lack of YouTube Music support on CarPlay forums and Reddit threads, indicating strong demand for better integration (Source 1). With CarPlay’s growing popularity and the rise of streaming services like YouTube Music, many expect Apple and Google will collaborate to improve the YouTube Music experience on CarPlay
Some optimistically point to Google’s willingness to create a dedicated CarPlay app for YouTube Music as a sign that fuller support could come eventually. As CarPlay evolves and adds new features like iOS 16’s customizable dashboard, YouTube Music integration could become a higher priority. While no specific announcements have been made, the door appears open for better official YouTube Music support on CarPlay down the road (Source 2).
Summary
To summarize, YouTube Music does not currently have native support for CarPlay. This means you cannot access the YouTube Music app directly on a CarPlay enabled car display. However, there are some workarounds available using third party apps or AirPlay to mirror your iPhone screen to CarPlay.
These workarounds allow you to access YouTube Music on CarPlay in a limited capacity, but the experience is not as seamless as with streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify that are natively integrated. You have to rely on your phone’s screen and manually control music playback.
As for future support, there has not been any official announcement from YouTube about bringing native YouTube Music integration to CarPlay. However, given CarPlay’s popularity and user demand for YouTube Music, there is a reasonable possibility that native support could arrive in a future update. But when and if that will happen remains to be seen.
In summary, YouTube Music does not currently work directly on CarPlay, but limited workarounds are available. Native support may possibly come in the future, but is not guaranteed.