Hands-On With the Apple Music App for Tesla

Car manufacturer Tesla last week rolled out a holiday software update that added Apple Music support to Tesla vehicles, so we thought we'd check it out for those who are interested in a hands-on demo of how Apple's streaming music service works on the Tesla platform.


Apple Music support for Tesla cars is something that Tesla owners have long been waiting for, as the electric car company has previously only worked with streaming services like Spotify.

The experience works as you might expect, and the full ‌Apple Music‌ service is available. The navigation experience is superior compared to Spotify, such as options for tapping into songs from a playlist to get to the entire album along with better interface interactions.

Navigation is also straightforward, though it's worth noting that it does not appear that iTunes Match content is available for access. Lossless and Dolby Atmos also do not appear to be available at this time in Teslas, and it is not clear if that functionality is going to be enabled at a later date.

If you're a Tesla owner, you will need the 2022.44.25 Tesla Holiday Update to access ‌Apple Music‌, which has been rolling out over the last seven days.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

Top Rated Comments

BeatCrazy Avatar
41 months ago

Can't believe how big the screen is in that car, so awesome.
One thing I can tell you after having a Tesla for 3 years... having a HUGE screen never gets old. Any other car I get into, the screen just feels tiny and cramped.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
41 months ago
Looks nice. Now if we can get CarPlay support.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
41 months ago

They mentioned online, the annual holiday software update is available for all users, but there is a small catch:
Note: A Premium Connectivity subscription is required to stream Apple Music over a cellular connection. You see that if you click on the Apple Music portion of this twitter post.
it’s really hard to stream music over a cellular connection without a cellular connection. I tried a really long ethernet cable and it was great around the neighborhood.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LukasValine Avatar
41 months ago

They mentioned online, the annual holiday software update is available for all users, but there is a small catch:
Note: A Premium Connectivity subscription is required to stream Apple Music over a cellular connection. You see that if you click on the Apple Music portion of this twitter post. (upper left)

[MEDIA=twitter]1602725058291474432[/MEDIA]
Obviously premium connectivity is needed for cellular. If you want to stream for “free” you can connect your car to your phones hotspot.

Tesla charges less for data than most cell carriers fyi.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
41 months ago
Can't believe how big the screen is in that car, so awesome.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayinla Avatar
41 months ago
One MAJOR issue with the app in the Tesla is if your playlist is over 100 songs, it separates the playlist into pages of 100 songs each. You can't play the whole playlist...only the page you select. Oh, and it won't play your smart playlists.. The playlist implementation is a dealbreaker for me.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)