Key Takeaways
- YouTube Music retains one of the great features of Google Play Music – the ability to upload your own music – and is definitely worth trying out at the free tier.
- SiriusXM is great for long drives or filling in the gaps in local radio, and it’s fun to use with the Google Assistant on Android Auto.
- Pandora offers a similar concept to SiriusXM, an easy-to-use UI, and endless playlists based on artists, but requires a paid subscription for better audio quality.
Everyone likes to listen to music on their commute to and from work (unless, of course, you prefer to drive without background music. Personally, I like to listen to talk radio, football talk, and music from the 70s and 80s. If that doesn’t tell you my age, nothing does.
With that in mind, which one should you use?Android Auto Here are some tips to help you get started, whether you’re driving around town or changing gears on the highway.
Related
How we test and review products at Pocket-lint
We don’t make assumptions – we buy, test, and review products ourselves and only publish our buyer’s guides after we’ve actually bought and tested them.
1 YouTube Music
Google’s own songs
YouTube Music
The platform, which migrated from Google Play Music to YouTube Music, offers the ability to upload personal music collections and provides seamless integration with Google services.
Google Play Music has ended, YouTube Music. The alternatives still maintain what made YouTube Music stand out: the ability to upload all of your music. That alone makes the service worth trying out. There’s a free plan that’s not too intrusive, but the real power comes from the paid subscription. When connected to Android Auto, it’s easy to review and find your playlists, and it works great with the Google Assistant.
The mobile app is much better and it’s a good idea to set up your music before you get in the car. This is true to some extent for all the apps on this list. The UX and UI could use a little improvement as the items are small and you have to look twice to make sure you’re tapping the right one. However, the album/song covers are easy to read in the album and song views.
Related
How to update Android Auto to unlock the latest features
If you’re an Android user, you’ll need to keep your Copilot up to date. Here’s how to update Android Auto:
2 SiriusXM
Stern and Music
SiriusXM
It is a satellite radio service that offers nationwide coverage, diverse content, and a seamless listening experience between cities, making long-distance drives more comfortable with a wide range of channels and programming.
Paying for radio is a foreign concept to me. As a Brit who grew up with ad-free music broadcast nationwide through the BBC, radio has always been a blessing. Moving to the US, I realized that local radio is not a very enjoyable experience, especially on long drives (something I do all the time). So SiriusXM fills the gap of having to find another radio station to listen to when driving between cities. If you have a car that doesn’t have satellite radio capabilities built in, you can stream it through the app.
The great thing about this app is that the icons are large and easy to see while driving, which is something other apps should take note of. Out of all the music apps, the UX and UI is the best.
The Android Auto version of SiriusXM is a real joy to use with the Google Assistant: Just say, “Hey Google, play Howard Stern on SiriusXM,” and you’ll have your favorite shock jock talking in your ear in no time.
Related
New to Android Auto? Here’s how to bring your favorite apps to your car
Installing Android Auto apps in your car is easier than you think
3 Pandora
Everybody’s shuffling
Pandora
An internet radio service known for offering personalized music stations based on user preferences. It offers both a free ad-supported version and a premium subscription with extended features that allow you to listen without ads and enjoy high quality audio.
Pandora has been around for a long time — SiriusXM acquired the company a few years ago to expand its portfolio — and it’s a similar concept to the radio stations SiriusXM already has, except you choose an artist and a playlist is created on the fly.
So, when you add Sting, you get that same music in a playlist that lasts forever. What’s really great is that when you create a radio station in the app, it gives you a ton of additional artists to choose from for the station you’re creating. In no time, you’ll have an endless supply of fresh music to listen to. If you want a radio experience with almost no ads and endless music, this is the best app for me.
Again, the free version does have ads, but they’re not intrusive at all. To be honest, I found them to be quite annoying. A paid subscription removes the ads, improves sound quality, and lets you skip unlimited songs. If you’re driving, you might want to save some of your “unlimited” data for the poor sound quality as a bandwidth-reducing option. I didn’t find them to be annoying at all, but the audio is great for the car.
The UI is really simple and easy to use. If you want to play music randomly without the hassle of creating a playlist, Pandora is a really good option.
Related
Android Auto Wireless Adapter: How to set it up in your car
If you have a compatible phone and car, setting up an Android Auto wireless adapter can help you avoid the hassle of cables.
4 Deezer
Moody Music
Deezer
It’s a music streaming service with unique social features, allowing users to add friends to playlists and offering mood-based music recommendations through its unique Flow feature.
Deezer It doesn’t have the same music library as other apps like Spotify for example. That said, it does have most of the music I usually listen to. However, it does have some really useful features like being able to add friends to playlists and listen individually to lists we’ve created together. It’s great. Like Spotify, there are countless playlists to choose from within a specific genre.
You can also enjoy music quizzes. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work with Android Auto yet. It might be a distraction for the driver. One feature I really like is the ability to play music based on your mood. It updates your playlist of preferred music daily. There is also an option called Flow. Tap on it to choose music that suits your mood. Options include Love, Workout, Chill, Sad, Focus, Party, and more. If Deezer plays a song you don’t like, you can give it a thumbs down and it will never be played again.
