Volvo to integrate Spotify into Sensus Connect infotainment system
You'll need a premium subscription to take advantage of this new integration, though.
Even though infotainment systems are now growing to encompass smartphone connectivity solutions like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there's still a demand for systems to include baked-in apps that don't require phones. Volvo is doing exactly this by adding Spotify to its Sensus Connect system.
Starting this spring, the Swedish automaker (now owned by Chinese manufacturer Geely) will offer Spotify as a native application on the XC90 crossover, the S90 sedan and the V90 wagon. A premium subscription is required, which runs about $10 per month, but a 30-day trial period is included for folks that haven't used the program before. The announcement came during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Currently, the automaker allows customers Spotify access one of two ways -- through Apple CarPlay, or by way of Bluetooth streaming directly from a phone's Spotify app. Putting Spotify right into the infotainment system deletes that middleman, and it allows users to search for new music right in the system (something Apple CarPlay cannot do).
