Spotify was one of the first third-party apps available for Tesla cars, but the company didn’t really do a very good job updating it: The app has remained the same basically since its launch in 2015.
This just changed, with a major new update that started rolling out to users on Wednesday.
The most important change is access to audiobooks, which were introduced to Spotify in 2022, but have remained absent in Spotify’s Tesla app until now. It’s also easier to log in, which you can do by scanning a QR code with your phone.
A big pet peeve of mine has been fixed, too: Now you can finally jump to an artist or album from a list of songs with one tap (previously, you could only start playing the song, with no simple way to get to the whole album or the artist’s catalog). The app’s interface has also been revamped.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek posted a short video on Twitter, outlining the most important changes (below).
The update seems to be gradually rolling out, and I was unable to get it in my Tesla Model 3, even after updating the car’s firmware to the latest available version. I’ve asked Spotify whether the update is available in all regions, and how quickly it’ll roll out to everyone, and will update this post when I hear back.
