Adam Birney / Android Authority
Music on Android Auto is a little tricky. There are some obvious music players that don’t work on Android Auto, and we can’t figure out why at this point. Hence, some people are still looking for a decent way to listen to music. You get better luck with music streaming apps like Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music. However, support for local media remains sparse and erratic. We can help! Here are the best music players for Android Auto. You can find more Android Auto apps here too.
We would also like to give an honorable mention to BlackPlayer (Google Play). It’s an excellent music player and the developer is doing an overhaul. However, in the meantime, the app has not been updated since 2021. We will keep an eye on that app.
Best music players for Android Auto
AIMP is an above average music player with Android Auto support. This is a local music player for files on your device. It supports most major and popular file types, including MP3, APE, OGG, AAC, FLAC, MP4, M4A, MPC, and about a dozen others. The user interface on Android Auto is fairly standard. The actual UI works on your phone with a decent design. Some additional features include a 29-band equalizer, playback speed controls (for podcasts and audiobooks), and audio normalization. There’s a laundry list of other features, too. This is completely free with no in-app purchases or ads.
Go mad
price: Free / $4.99
GoneMAD is an excellent native music player. It features a simple yet effective user interface, loads of features, and of course, Android Auto support. Some of the features include support for lyrics, cross-fading, playlists, a custom audio engine, support for several audio formats, and 16-band EQ. It competes well with Poweramp, which is a good thing because they both have similar costs, too. Personally, I use this one, and it hasn’t gone wrong yet.
Jet Audio
price: Free / As low as $2.99
jetAudio is another decent native music player that supports Android Auto. The app comes with some fun tricks, like AM3D audio optimization, some sound effects, and an equalizer with 32 presets. You also get above-average file support, a phone-friendly UI, and support for the usual things like playlists, cross-fading, playback speed control, and more. There are plenty of other features that cater to different areas.
It worked well during our testing on Android Auto and performed great as a standalone music player. You could definitely do worse. The free version has ads and fewer features, and the premium version has everything without ads. Rocket Music Player is another app that gets a lot of recommendations for Android Auto users along with jetAudio. Rocket Music Player is also very good.
Media Monkey
price: Free / As low as $2.49
MediaMonkey is a native music player with some great features. The developers also have a full desktop application for Windows. You can sync your music wirelessly (via WiFi) between the mobile and PC versions. The actual Android version is pretty good. The user interface is very basic but functional. You also get an equalizer, playlists, cross fade, and other good basic music playback features.
Android Auto support is as good as the others on the list. We had no problems getting stuck in the playlist and jamming while on the road. The Android version has a premium version that unlocks all features via an in-app purchase. However, the desktop version is more expensive.
Musicolet has made a name for itself among the best music players on Android. It also has Android Auto support, which makes it a good fit for this list. The app has no ads, no internet permissions, most of the usual music player functionality, and a few decent extras. The user interface is simple yet simple and effective and you also get things like an equalizer, headphone control support and home screen widgets. Android Auto support was as good as we’d come to expect, and it’s as good as any other app out there. This is a 4.7 rating on Google Play for a reason. The app is also completely free with no in-app purchases or ads.
Pandora
price: Free / up to $9.99 per month
Pandora is kind of a shoo-in for a list like this. It’s available in most car infotainment centers anyway and it would honestly feel like a mistake if it didn’t have Android Auto support. You all know how Pandora works. You start a radio station, listen to music, skip the occasional song, listen to the occasional ad, and move on with life. The premium option for $9.99 per month adds an on-demand music selection, more robust playlists, unlimited skipping of classic radio stations, and higher-quality audio. It’s a very solid option in the music streaming space, but we’re not sure if it usurps the best in the industry like Spotify.
Poweramp
price: Free Trial / $4.99
Poweramp is one of the most popular music player apps on Android, and for good reason. It is packed with features, a good user interface and a lot of customization. It supports Android Auto, though it was one of the later music players to do so. The Android Auto user interface is pretty typical with quick access to the music player, playlists, and library. You can also ask Google Assistant to play songs from Poweramp, which works most of the time. He’s a great all-around player. The free version is a trial version and the full version is $4.99
pulsar
price: Free / $2.99
Pulsar is another solid choice for local media playback. The app is nothing too special. However, it has a simple user interface, decent controls, and just plays your music. Some of the features (aside from Android Auto support) include Chromecast support, equalizer, ReplayGain, gapless playback, playback speed controls, and a home screen widget. There is not much wrong with this. It won’t blow your mind, but it sure does the job without complaint. The free version contains ads while the premium version removes ads. The premium version is also a separate app and this is a bit rare these days. Anyway, Pulsar is a good choice.
Spotify is the most popular music streaming service in the world. In some cases, there is a reason for this. One good example is that Spotify is usually among the first music streaming app to support new technologies like Android Auto. You all know what Spotify does. Stream millions of songs, stream your own playlists, listen to music on demand, and check out Spotify’s unparalleled discovery features. Android Auto support is good and we had no problems with the car jamming. You can use it for free (with ads) or for $9.99 per month without ads and additional features.
Youtube music
price: Free / $9.99 – $12.99 per month
YouTube Music officially replaced Google Play Music in late 2020, so it’s replacing Google Play Music here as well. YouTube Music is an overall good music streaming service. You can also upload your own songs to the service for playback and download songs if you’re driving somewhere without great cell service. The user interface on Android Auto is the same as all the other apps and it works with Google Assistant. We wish the app was better organized, but for $12.99 a month you can get this along with no ads on regular YouTube, and that’s a solid 1-2 boost, even if YouTube Music isn’t the best app for streaming music.
Bonus: AnyAutoAudio (power users only)
price: free
AnyAutoAudio is a fun little solution for those who don’t like anything mentioned above. The app uses the Android Notification Listener permission to access your music player and then pass it on to Android Auto. It’s a bit unconventional to use. You open your music player (PowerAmp, Neutron, etc.) and then connect your phone.
In Android Auto, select the AnyAutoAudio option after pressing the Music icon in the bottom navigation bar. Now you can listen to music from your native music player without downloading an additional app. This requires a sideload and some modification. We only recommend this for people who want a specific music player without Android Auto support and don’t mind tweaking it a bit.