Does Tidal work with Apple CarPlay? Yes. Since 2017, Tidal has been integrated with Apple CarPlay. Tidal users can listen to songs, albums, and playlists in their cars. All you need is a radio that is compatible with Apple's car system and the latest Tidal app. You can safely play and control music playback while driving. Plus, you can also make phone calls, send messages, use turn-by-turn navigation and more through Apple CarPlay.
This article covers everything you wanted to know about Tidal CarPlay. You can learn two ways to get Tidal on Apple CarPlay. You can also learn some ways to fix Tidal not working on CarPlay.
Part 1. How to Play Tidal on Apple CarPlay Online with a Subscription
In recent years, Tidal has become increasingly popular for playback on CarPlay. For no extra cost, you can listen to your favorite Tidal music in your car by paying for a Tidal subscription. However, if you're on a long road trip, this will cost you most of your phone traffic. To bypass all the potential problems that come with online playback, go to Part 2 for offline playback.
What you need to make Tidal Apple CarPlay work:
- Your iPhone should be an iPhone X or higher model.
- Your car stereo is equipped with the Apple CarPlay in-car system.
- You have an active Tidal subscription, HiFi or HiFi Plus.
- You have the latest Tidal application on your iPhone.
First, check the list of compatible Apple CarPlay cars to find out if your car is compatible with Apple CarPlay. Then follow the steps below to use Apple CarPlay Tidal in your car.
Step 1. Plug your iPhone into the USB port of your car via a lightning cable. Then the 'Apple CarPlay' icon or a 'smartphone' icon will show up on the car's built-in display.
Step 2. Go to the 'Settings' app on your iPhone. Then tap on 'General' > 'CarPlay' > 'Available Cars'. In the list of the available cars, click to your car.
Step 3. Open the latest Tidal app on your iPhone. Then it will be replicated on your car's display.
Step 4. On your car's touch screen, tap on 'Tidal' and start to browse and play Tidal music in the car via Apple CarPlay.
Part 2. How to Stream Tidal on CarPlay Offline without a Subscription
Although Apple CarPlay supports the Tidal app, many users have reported a variety of Tidal CarPlay issues. Plus, when you listen to Tidal music online, you'll spend a lot of phone traffic. Most importantly, you need to have a Tidal HiFi or HiFi Plus subscription.
If you want to get around all of these limitations, you can try another way to play Tidal offline on Apple CarPlay without paying to Tidal. All you need to do is download Tidal music with the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. You can then import the downloaded Tidal songs into your car via a USB drive. You will be able to stream Tidal in your car without any problems.
This smart program allows you to convert Tidal music to MP3 and other universal formats. You can use it to get Tidal audio files that are compatible with your different devices. Thus, you are able to listen to Tidal music on any other device, even if it doesn't support Tidal.
It preserves the 100% HiFi quality and 100% Master quality of Tidal tracks. In addition, ID3 tags such as artist, title, album, track number, etc. are fully preserved in the output file. This is really convenient to check the information of the songs on your Apple CarPlay at any time.
AudFree Tidal Music Converter
- Losslessly download Tidal music without Tidal Premium
- Convert Tidal to MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A, M4B, etc.
- Get Tidal on CarPlay offline without a subscription
- Preserve 100% original HiFi / Master quality
- Work at 5X faster speed, reset output parameters
Simply click the 'Download' button above to install the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. Then follow the steps below to use Tidal on Apple CarPlay without any hassle.
- Step 1Stream Tidal music to AudFree
- Launch AudFree Tidal Music Converter on your desktop. The Tidal app will automatically open later. Pick up any song or playlist in the Tidal app. Then copy and paste the link of the audio to the search box in the AudFree software. Tap on the "+" bar to load those tracks. Alternatively, you can drag and drop songs from Tidal directly to its main interface.
- Step 2Customize Tidal output settings for Apple CarPlay
- For the Mac computer, go to Mac's menu and find the "AudFree Tidal Music Converter" option. For Windows computer, head to the "menu" icon on the top in AudFree. And choose to "Preferences" > "Convert". There you can edit or keep the default output settings.
- Step 3 Convert Tidal music for Apple CarPlay
- Tap on the big "Convert" bar on the main window, and it will start the conversion process. When the converting phase is over, please follow the on-screen red spot to locate the "Converted" folder.
- Step 4 Transfer converted Tidal music to USB
- Find the converted Tidal songs in your computer's local folder by following the "Output" path. Then plug a USB drive into your computer and copy and paste the Tidal files to USB drive. Finally, you can insert this USB drive into your car and stream Tidal music offline without a subscription.
Part 3. How to Fix Tidal Not Working on CarPlay
"Why doesn't CarPlay work with Tidal since I updated to iOS 15 on iPhone 12?" There are many reports of Tidal CarPlay issues encountered while using the app. If you also meet some problems, try the fixes below.
1. Unpair your iPhone and then pair it back.
2. Update the Tidal application to the newest version.
3. Update your iPhone to the newest version.
4. Enable Siri on your iPhone.
5. Allow Apple CarPlay while your phone is locked.
6. Make sure the CarPlay is not restricted on your phone.
7. Enable cellular data on your phone.
8. Restart your iPhone and your car.
9. Ask for help from Apple Support.
10. Use AudFree Tidal Music Converter to get Tidal on Apple CarPlay.
Part 4. FAQs about Tidal Apple CarPlay
Q1: Does Tidal Work on Apple CarPlay?
A: Yes. Since 2017, Tidal users can play Tidal directly from their cars by connecting their iPhones. Just make sure you have a compatible iPhone and that your car stereo is equipped with Apple CarPlay.
Q2: What Streaming Service Does CarPlay Support?
A: Apple CarPlay now supports Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Audible, and so on.
Q3: Can I Use Siri to Control Tidal on CarPlay?
A: Yes, you can control Tidal music playback on Apple CarPlay with a few commands from Siri.
Q4: How Can I Listen to Tidal on Apple CarPlay?
A: You can connect your iPhone to your car and then open the Tidal app on your iPhone to get Tidal on your car's touchscreen. But this method requires an active Tidal subscription. And a better way to enjoy Tidal CarPlay is to use the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. You can use it to download Tidal music and transfer it to your car via a USB drive. You can then play Tidal offline in your car without a Tidal subscription.
Miley Swift
Staff Editor
