11 Proven Methods to Fix Spotify Not Working on CarPlay Issue

Part 1. How to Get Spotify on Apple Carplay

How does Spotify work on Apple CarPlay? In the beginning, we will introduce how to connect Spotify to Apple CarPlay with detailed instructions. If you just started controlling and using Spotify with Apple CarPlay, it is worth having a look.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your car's infotainment system compatible with Apple CarPlay through a USB cable.

Step 2. On your iPhone, tap 'Settings' > 'General' > 'CarPlay' > 'Available Cars' and select your car from the list.

Step 3. Click 'Customize' to add and get Spotify show on the home screen of your Apple CarPlay.

Step 4. At last, browse and play any Spotify music in your car from your phone.

💡Tips: You can also enable Siri on your iPhone to control Spotify Apple CarPlay music playback. Please go to your phone's 'Settings' > 'Siri & Search' > 'Listen for 'Hey Siri'. After that, you can ask Siri to play music via voice command.

Part 2. Spotify Not Working on CarPlay: Why and How to Fix It

While using Spotify with Apple CarPlay, some users complain that they don't work sometimes. For example, there is no sound while playing Spotify on CarPlay, Spotify music won't play on CarPlay and so on. So, in this part, we will walk you through the reasons and solutions to this issue.

Why Is Spotify Not Working on Apple CarPlay

There are some possible causes that may lead to Spotify CarPlay not working/displaying/loading/playing. You can check them out below.

• Unavailability of Car & CarPlay
• Wired Connection to Apple CarPlay Stereo
• Something Wrong with Car Infotainment System
• Outdated Spotify App or iPhone System
• Siri is Disabled
• The screen Time Limit Is On
• Battery Saver Mode Is Active
• CarPlay Is Not Allowed While Locked

How to Fix Spotify on CarPlay Not Working/Showing/Playing

After learning the reasons, now, let's check the methods below to fix the issue one by one.

Fix 1. Check Availability of Car & CarPlay

On account of the copyright policies of Spotify, Spotify songs or playlists is not available in some regions. Also, it is likely that Spotify music is not supported by this type of car or your car does not support the Apple CarPlay. So, it is necessary to check whether the region you are living in now supports both CarPlay and Spotify by visiting Apple CarPlay Feature Availability. Also, check whether your car is compatible with CarPlay through checking CarPlay Available Models.

Moreover, Spotify Free users can change the region or country of their Spotify profile to resolve the problem:

Step 1. Navigate to the 'Account Overview' on the Spotify website.

Step 2. Click 'Account Profile' > 'Edit profile' > 'Country or region'.

Step 3. Change into a place where Spotify is available and tap on the 'Save' button.

💡Tips: You can also upgrade to Spotify Premium since it removes such limitations for Spotify Premium users.

Fix 2. Check Connection to CarPlay Stereo

With a wired connection to CarPlay stereo, Spotify will also fail to work on Apple CarPlay. So you are required to check the connection to the CarPlay stereo again. Visiting 'Settings' > 'Bluetooth' or 'Settings' > 'Wi-Fi' to make sure the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is on. Besides, click the CarPlay network, and make sure that Auto-Join is active.

Fix 3. Enable Siri

Most people are using a shortcut - Siri and voice commands to control Spotify playback on Apple CarPlay. So, if Siri has been turned off, Apple CarPlay won't play Spotify. Take a look at the following guidance, you will understand how to play Spotify on Apple CarPlay with Siri:

Step 1. Make sure that you have turned on the "Listen for Hey Siri" feature. To make it, you can click on 'Settings' > 'Siri & Search'> "Listen for Hey Siri" on your iPhone.

Step 2. By speaking out "Hey, Siri" or pressing the 'Home' button, you can wake up Siri. Then dictate the text of your commands to Siri with the voice commands, for example, "Hey, Siri, play [the name of songs] on Spotify". Then you can run Spotify with Siri.

Fix 4. Turn Off Screen Time Limit

You may disable CarPlay while using the Screen Time Limit feature on your iPhone. You can remove the restriction from Apple CarPlay by the following steps:

Step 1. Navigate to Settings and scroll down to 'Screen time'. Then toggle it off.

Step 2. Tap on 'Content & Privacy Restrictions' > 'Allowed Apps' > 'CarPlay'. Then the CarPlay is enabled.

Fix 5. Deactivate Battery Saver Setting

Enabled the battery saver setting will restrict the smooth running of both iPhone and Spotify. It should be responsible for Spotify stops playing on CarPlay problem. So deactivate this setting in the steps below:

Step 1. Go to 'Settings'. Find and select the 'Battery & performance' option.

Step 2. Under Battery, toggle off the right button near 'Battery saver'.

Fix 6. Allow CarPlay While Locked

Disable the 'allow CarPlay while locked' feature is also a culprit behind Spotify Apple CarPlay not working issue. You can resolve it this way:

On iPhone's Settings, click 'General' > 'CarPlay', then you will see the 'Allow CarPlay while locked' option. Switch the option on.

Fix 7. Reset and Restart Infotainment System of Cars

You can also go to check the settings in your car infotainment system and then reset it. To make it, you need to contact and ask the vehicle manufacturer for help.

Fix 8. Clear Spotify Cache

Clearing cache on Spotify will also fix the Spotify Apple CarPlay doesn't work issue. Here you can go to the Spotify app's settings > 'Storage' > 'Clear cache' to remove cache files. Or, you can go to iPhone's Settings > 'General' > 'iPhone Storage' > 'Spotify' > 'Offload App'.

Fix 9. Update iPhone System & Spotify App and Restart

If you use an old version of iOS for your iPhone or an outdated Spotify app, then you may get the Spotify on CarPlay not working issue. In this case, you should go to check your phone's system and your Spotify app version. To update phone system, go to 'Settings' > 'General' > 'Software Update' > 'Download and Install'. To get the latest version of the Spotify app, go to 'App Store' and then find 'spotify' > 'Update'. After that, restart your phone and the Spotify app to see if Spotify works well with CarPlay.

Fix 10. Check Volume on Your Phone

If you meet the Apple CarPlay Spotify no sound issue, you can go to check the volume on your device is up or not. If it is low, then you may not hear the sound well. So, just use the volume up button on your phone to turn the volume up.

Part 3. Best Way to Fix Spotify Not Working on Apple Carplay

If the above-mentioned troubleshooting tips are not feasible, you can choose to contact Apple Support. But it will take you a lot of time and it is not sure to work. Take it easy. Why not consider downloading songs from Spotify and transferring them to your iPhone for offline listening forever in the car? Without needing to try all the fixes above one by one, all you need is only a third-party music converter or downloader. Here, we'd like to recommend you use AudFree Spotify Music Converter. It is a perfect solution to avoid Spotify not showing or working on Apple CarPlay.

This time-efficient gadget works to download and convert all types of Spotify music such as songs, playlists, albums, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. as local files with LOSSLESS sound quality. Through converting Spotify audio with OGG Vorbis format to commonly used output formats such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, etc., you are able to play Spotify music on all portable devices and players offline.

Besides, it allows you to download Spotify music for FREE for offline listening, be it Spotify Free or Spotify Premium subscription. With an intuitive and ads-free interface, this software is quite easy-to-use for beginners. By the way, it is compatible with both Windows and Mac.

How to Download Spotify to MP3 with AudFree Spotify Music Converter

Wonder how to use AudFree Spotify Music Converter? Here is a user guide prepared for you.

Step 1Add Spotify Music to AudFree Spotify Music Converter

Launch AudFree Spotify Music Converter after installation, which will open the Spotify app automatically. Choose your favorite Spotify audio that you get ready to enjoy in your car with Apple CarPlay. Subsequently, copy and paste the URL link of Spotify songs or playlists to the search box of the AudFree Spotify Music Converter. Then tap on '+' icon to load up. Or try to drag and drop your selected Spotify content to the main interface of the converter.

Step 2Set Output Format as MP3 for Spotify Audio

Head to the top-right toolbar of the converter and click on 'Preference' > 'Convert'. In this way, you will be given access to customize output formats as MP3 for Spotify audio. Also, you are allowed to set the output audio format such as FLAC/WAV/AAC/M4A/M4B which are supported by Apple CarPlay. At the same time, you can personalize the Spotify bit rate, audio channels, sample rate, and other parameters for lossless Spotify audio.

Step 3Start to Convert Spotify Music as MP3 to Play on Apple CarPlay

Simply hit the bottom-right 'Convert' button to commence the process of converting music from Spotify and wait for a while. Once the Spotify songs are saved into the destination folder, proceed to transfer the downloaded Spotify music to your iPhone or USB drive. After that, you can listen to your loved Spotify music in your car offline while still concentrating on driving without Spotify Apple CarPlay not working or showing issues. Also, you can change Spotify playback speed at random.

Video Tutorial

Part 4. FAQs about Spotify CarPlay

Q1: My Apple CarPlay shows "Spotify is offline". However, I am not offline. What's wrong with It?

A: In fact, the message "Spotify is offline" is followed by a prompt "You can play downloads from Your Library". But there is no content at all displayed on the Apple CarPlay. To solve this problem permanently, we recommend you download Spotify music with the third-party tool - AudFree Spotify Music Converter. Then import the Spotify downloads to iPhone for playing on Apple CarPlay via Bluetooth.

Q2: How to Turn on CarPlay Mode On/Off Spotify?

A: Here is a step-by-step instruction for you:

Step 1. On Spotify, tap on the gear icon at the very top right.

Step 2. On Settings, look about midway down, and tap on the 'Car' option.

Step 3. On the new menu, there are two options: Car Thing and Car View. Toggle on/off the right button next to 'Car View'.

Q3: How to Search on Spotify Carplay?

A: The process can be quite easy if you follow the instructions below:

Once added Spotify app to Apple CarPlay, from the home screen of Apple CarPlay, tap on the Spotify app to open it. Then type the name of songs on the search box of Spotify as you did before on your mobiles. But to ensure security while driving, most Apple CarPlay users will choose the voice control assistant - Siri to control Spotify music playback. With Siri, you needn't divert your attention during driving.

Part 5. In Conclusion

In this post, we have nailed down almost everything about Spotify Apple CarPlay. For example, we have talked about the trick to add Spotify to Apple CarPlay, and potential reasons behind the Spotify Apple CarPlay not working or showing issue as well as solutions to fix it. Most importantly, we have found out the best way to troubleshoot the problem. That is to use the third-party gadget - AudFree Spotify Music Converter.

This program serves as a downloader and converter for Spotify Free and Premium members. It is capable to download and convert all types of Spotify music to various output audio formats. With it, you can listen to Spotify music on Apple CarPlay and other devices or players offline without such Spotify playback issues anymore. Just give it a try!