Apple CarPlay music apps are a sure way to enjoy music non-stop in your car on your daily trips. Since Apple CarPlay lets you mirror your phone on your car’s infotainment screen, you can install many CarPlay music players to access unlimited music playlists online.
There are several CarPlay music apps online.
Some of our favorite Apple CarPlay music apps include:
- Apple Music
- Amazon Music
- Spotify
- Youtube Music
- Cloud Mix
- Deezer
- BBC Sound
- Tidal
- Deezer
- Google Play (Now discontinued)
*While there are more, these are the most popular
In order of preference, my top three choices are:
- Apple Music – Best overall
- Spotify – Best Apple music alternative
- Amazon Music – Best if you already have a Prime subscription.
These apps ensure that you don’t run out of songs even on the longest journeys.
The apps are designed as an alternative to your car’s regular radio. They are more sophisticated to use. Unlike your traditional radio, with CarPlay music apps, you can enjoy the radio function and play your favorite music online.
You can access old-school and recent jamz via the CarPlay music apps. All you need to do is download and install any of the apps on your iPhone and launch it on Apple CarPlay to get started.
Continue reading to see these Apps in more detail.
8 Best Apple CarPlay Music Apps
Here are some of the top choices for Apple Carplay music apps:
Apple Music
music.apple.com (App Built into all iPhones)
Apple Music is designed by Apple Inc. It is a top-notch streaming service that lets you enjoy over ninety (90) million songs. With this App, you can listen to unlimited songs online and offline (after download).
Spotify
The Spotify CarPlay music app is designed to allow you to listen to your favorite songs over the internet (online) and download your favorite tracks to listen offline. The App was founded in 2006 by Martin Lorentzon and Daniel Ek.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music also ranks as one of the top best CarPlay music apps. The App lets you enjoy music streaming 24/7. With Amazon Music, you are guaranteed to enjoy unlimited songs from various playlists. The App also features Alexa voice instruction.
Amazon music became the first online music store to sell millions of music without any digital rights management. This App is top-notch for Apple CarPlay users.
See our full article on Amazon Music CarPlay, including everything you need to know.
To listen to audiobooks, you can use one of Amazon’s other apps: Audible CarPlay App.
Deezer
The Deezer CarPlay App is another famous CarPlay music player, that lets you access your music, podcasts, and even live radio.
However, in my experience, this is inferior to the other options, such as Apple Music or Spotify.
As an iPhone app, Deezer works well. However, my recent experience with the CarPlay app was buggy.
If you already have a Deezer subscription, then it could make sense to use the CarPlay app.
However, if you’re looking for a specific solution, I would advise another option.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is Google’s music streaming service platform that allows users to enjoy their favorite podcast, online music, and offline music through direct download. Google Play Music is available for iOS, Android, and Android TV.
Since it was launched in 2011, Google Play Music has become one of the most popular CarPlay music apps online.
Note: Google Play Music no longer exists. Instead, Youtube Music is Google’s music streaming service.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a music streaming platform developed by YouTube (one of Google’s subsidiaries) to allow users access to unlimited audio music playlists and videos on YouTube.
The App categorizes the available songs online into playlists, genres, and recommendations to make searching extremely easy. You are sure to get the songs you love from any of these categories.
Cloud Mix
Cloud Mix is a revolutionary music streaming service that puts you in charge of your music, irrespective of the storage location. With Cloud Mix, you can link your Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox to create a large cloud jukebox to accommodate all your music.
The App lets users add music to their playlists and delete unwanted songs. This App works perfectly with Apple CarPlay.
BBC Sounds
BBC sounds is one way to enjoy an all-in-one streaming service. The App allows users to enjoy their favorite podcasts, audio music, radio stations, and other favorite programs in one package.
No matter what you like to listen to when driving, with BBC, sounds on your Apple CarPlay, you can enjoy BBC news, listen to your regular podcasts, and favorite songs anytime, any day.
Tidal
Tidal Carplay App
Tidal is yet another awesome Apple CarPlay music app for you. With Tidal, users can enjoy subscription-based audio and video music streaming services all day long. Tidal works well on iOS, macOS, Android, and Microsoft windows.
If you desire to enjoy more audio and video music beyond what you have on your regular radio set or CarPlay in your vehicle, download any of the CarPlay music apps immediately.
With a regular monthly or yearly subscription, you can enjoy unlimited music, podcasts, news updates, etc., on the road all day long. Download any of the music apps outlined above, and you are good to go.
Other Music Apps
We haven’t discussed a range of other apps, such as several CarPlay Radio apps; however, these are the best options for playing any high-quality song in your vehicle.
Another platform people are surprised not to see is the SoundCloud CarPlay app, which is not yet compatible.
Other honorable mentions include:
- Napster
- Pandora
Best Free Music App for Apple CarPlay
There is a range of free music apps that you can use with Carplay if you are on a budget.
The only inconvenience is that you will likely have to endure adverts between songs and have high CarPlay mobile data usage, as these apps won’t let you download them offline with a free plan.
- Spotify – Best entirely free option
- Amazon Music – Free if you have a Prime account
How to Install Apple CarPlay Music Apps
To install an Apple CarPlay music app:
- Visit the App Store
- Search for the desired music app
- Select Download
- Open the App and follow the signing/signup process
- Connect to carplay with a wire or wirelessly, and the App will show up on your CarPlay stereo
As shown in a part of the video:
