Why Android Auto Users Listen to the Radio Instead of Streaming Music

The driver's distraction has long been a major concern for everybody in the industry, so Android Auto and CarPlay give users the option to remain connected to their mobile devices and drive the car safely simultaneously.

The most popular app categories on Android Auto and CarPlay are navigation solutions, such as Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps, music streaming services, including Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music, and parking applications that allow drivers to find and book a parking spot in advance.

Music apps go hand-in-hand with driving a car. Listening to music, playing a podcast, or hearing the news is something we're all used to, not necessarily thanks to Android Auto and CarPlay but because of the AM/FM radio integration into every single vehicle.

Listening to the radio has long been a common activity behind the wheel, especially when music streaming was expensive and playing music with alternative sources was less convenient than today. CDs and MP3s with USB media support prepared the migration to music streaming, but according to a new study, AM/FM radio continues to be incredibly popular today.

As I told you earlier this week, research from Edison reveals that drivers are addicted to listening to the radio, no matter if they have Android Auto and CarPlay. The analysis shows that 46 percent of the drivers with such systems still prefer radio over music streaming. Only 18 percent of the respondents say they use streaming behind the wheel.

AM/FM radio is even more popular among drivers whose cars don't come with phone projection systems. 67 percent of the drivers listen to the radio, and only 9 percent use streaming in their cars.

The study has one very important conclusion: drivers are still addicted to AM/FM radio, and music streaming services fail to convince their audience to pay for a subscription.

The reasons are varied, but one of the most important is the monthly payment. Users who want to listen to the likes of Spotify and YouTube Music must get a subscription (some services offer a free tier, but they spam listeners with ads, eventually making the experience quite frustrating because they play the same ads over and over again).

AM/FM radio is free and comes integrated into the car. Drivers don't have to pay a single cent for listening to the radio, and given no additional setup is required, the process is very convenient and straightforward. Tech-savvy users might have a hard time setting up their phones to run Android Auto and CarPlay, installing music streaming apps, logging in, and then playing their favorite tunes.

Leaving aside the involved costs and the additional technology skills required to set up music streaming on Android Auto and CarPlay, some users also prefer to listen to AM/FM radio because of the terrible experience they had with the likes of Spotify and YouTube Music on Android Auto.

These apps are often buggy, and essential Android Auto functionality, such as voice commands, makes listening to a specific song impossible. The voice command integration in Android Auto suffers from major reliability problems, as Google Assistant sometimes doesn't even recognize what users say.

Streaming services on Android Auto also lack essential features, not necessarily due to the parent companies, but because of the missing support in the app template they must use to comply with Google's policies. For example, you can't type the name of a song in Spotify to search for it, as the only way to look for a track or artist is to use Google Assistant. Otherwise, you must stick with the recommended artists or your playlists, but eventually, you'll end up listening to the same songs again.

I regularly use music streaming services in my car (with CarPlay), but no matter my settings, my playlist, and my favorite songs and artists, I always end up listening to almost the same tunes. The recommendation engines are terrible, and the push for sponsored content has reached a ridiculous level that could easily push subscribers off these platforms. Spotify repeatedly recommending the same songs is proof that you don't always listen to your favorite content but to tunes that the service must insist on to generate revenue.

AM/FM radio also offers a mix of news and music that streaming services can't match. Some drivers like to listen to a little bit of everything, but so far, most streaming platforms have been focusing on music and podcasts. It makes sense, considering these are their biggest revenue sources, but the radio experience seems to drive people away from these platforms.

Eventually, drivers still loving AM/FM radio is not surprising. It all comes down to a mix of convenience, the terrible music streaming integration into Android Auto and CarPlay, and the sometimes ridiculous costs of subscribing to music streaming.