Volkswagen Media Control app lets the back seat choose the tunes
In the event your passengers have terrible taste in music, you can disable wireless infotainment access.
Tradition dictates that the person seated shotgun is in control of the car's music. But thanks to a new app and Volkswagen 's new infotainment system, that's about to change.
Volkswagen models equipped with the two most expensive iterations of Volkswagen's new infotainment system, Discover Navigation or Discover Navigation Pro, can be used with VW's also-new Volkswagen Media Control app. Available for both iOS and Android, it allows users to connect to the infotainment system using its built-in WLAN connection.
However, it should be noted that Volkswagen Media Control has only been announced through Volkswagen's UK arm at the moment. Should it become available in the US in the future, we'll update the article accordingly.
In reality, the WLAN signals are not visible. But I sincerely hope you knew that already.
Once a passenger connects with the infotainment system, they can control the music, volume, speaker balance and fade. Not only can backseat passengers flip through radio stations, they can play music off their devices and even make calls using the car's built-in speakers and microphone. App users can also input destinations and set the navigation system.
In essence, it provides nearly full control of the infotainment system to every passenger. If your friends are nice, and have good taste in music, that's great! If your friends are trolls who like to crank the volume at inappropriate times or call up someone's mom "for fun," then perhaps you shouldn't tell them about this app.
Thankfully, the driver can disable the nav system's WLAN connection at any time, preventing young children or the aforementioned terrible friends from hijacking the infotainment controls.
Update, May 5: This story has been amended to clarify which markets have Volkswagen Media Control availability.
