How to Listen to Tidal in Car and Fix Common Issues

Part 1. How to Play Tidal in Car via the Built-in Tidal App

Tidal's currently listed Android Automotive partners include Faurecia Aptoide, Harman Ignite, Lucid, XPeng, Cinemo (supporting Dolby Atmos), Maserati, and Rivian. Android Automotive is an in-vehicle operating system built directly into compatible vehicle models. It differs from Android Auto, which relies on the user's Android phone to provide the app experience. Users can control Tidal directly via the vehicle's infotainment system display. Here is how to do that.

Step 1. Power on your car and open the Tidal app from the infotainment system. Later, a code will appear on the car display.

Step 2. On your mobile phone or computer, visit the Tidal device-linking page, sign in your Tidal account, and enter the code displayed in the vehicle.

Step 3. Once paired, you can use Tidal directly from the car system and start streaming.

Overview of Vehicles or Platforms with Native Tidal Support:

Part 2. How to Listen to Tidal in Car via Android Auto

Android Auto is the solution that brings the smartphone's power to your car's infotainment. A simplified interface, larger touch targets, and voice actions are its specialty. Upon connecting with an Android phone, you can use Android Auto to play Tidal through the car infotainment display.

Make sure your car is compatible with Android Auto. Tidal supports Android Auto on devices running Android 7 or later. Android 10 and later versions have Android Auto integrated into the system, and some compatible phones and vehicles also support wireless connectivity. After that, follow the steps below on how you can play Tidal music from phone to car via Android Auto.

Step 1. Open the Tidal application on your Android phone.

Step 2. Use a USB cable or Bluetooth to connect your phone to the car's infotainment system.

Step 3. Once connected, Android Auto will appear on your car's dashboard. Then you can choose Tidal in the Android Auto app on the stereo display to start listening to your favorite music.

Step 4. After that, you can ask Google Assistant to search for music or play a track on Tidal through the car interface, without using the Tidal app on your phone.

Part 3. How to Play Tidal in Car via Apple CarPlay

For iOS users, you can use Apple CarPlay to listen to Tidal music in your car. It turns the car's radio or head unit into a display. You can perform all the actions that you do on your iPhone using the car's unit. But note that you will need an active Tidal subscription.

Step 1. Use a USB cable to establish communication between the phone and the car's infotainment system.

Step 2. Head to the "Settings" app on your iPhone and choose "General" > "CarPlay". In the list of "Available Cars", select your car.

Step 3. Open the Tidal application on your iPhone. And it will also show on your car screen. You can start listening to Tidal music freely. You can also use Siri to play the songs from Tidal via CarPlay.

Part 4. How to Stream Tidal to Car through Bluetooth

If you own a recent vehicle with a recent media center and Bluetooth enabled, you can connect to your phone and play Tidal through Bluetooth.

Before proceeding, you must pair your phone with your car's Bluetooth so they can establish communication.

Once paired, you can open Tidal on your smartphone and get Tidal to play in your car. You can choose from a wide variety of playlists or pick up where you left off and enjoy your drive.

Part 5. How to Play Tidal in the Car via Aux-In Cable

Your car may not support Bluetooth. In this case, an auxiliary input cable can be used. This is a straightforward method of connecting your Tidal device to your vehicle. You can easily buy cables from the market.

Just connect one end of the cable to your phone or audio adapter and the other end to your car's AUX input. Once the connection is established, power on the entertainment device. Also, open the Tidal app on your smartphone. You can now play and listen to your favorite music while driving to your destination.

Part 6. How to Play Tidal Music in Car Offline via USB Drive

When you are taking a road trip or regularly drive through areas with poor cellular coverage, the best way is to listen to Tidal songs in your car offline. If your car supports USB drive media playback, you can get local Tidal music files and transfer them to a USB flash drive for use.

To do that, all you need is AudFree Tidal Music Converter. This tool is available to all Tidal users. Once your car supports the USB drive, you can enjoy Tidal music offline without any restrictions.

AudFree Tidal Converter allows you to download music from Tidal to computer as local audio files. Once downloaded, you can use them on any other device, even if they don't support Tidal. So you can easily transfer Tidal downloads to your car via a USB drive. During the process, 100% lossless audio quality and all ID3 tags will be preserved.

AudFree Tidal Music Converter

• Batch download Tidal songs, albums, playlists, etc. locally
• Convert Tidal to Car-compatible formats, such as MP3, WAV, etc.
• Maintain 100% lossless Tidal audio quality with ID3 tags kept
• Work at 37 times faster, easy to use, enjoy Tidal in any car model

Try It Free

Try It Free

How to Download Tidal Songs for Car

Step 1. Click on the "Try It Free" button above to download and install the AudFree Tidal Converter software. You can browse for the songs you want to play in your car. Once found, press the "+" sign and tap the "Add to list" button to load them into AudFree tool.

Step 2. From the top "menu" bar, choose the "Preferences" option. It will open a small settings window. In the window, select the "Conversion" tab to set the output parameters. You can change the file format, sample rate, bit rate, and channel.

Step 3. After completing of settings, click the "Convert" button of "Converting". The AudFree Tidal Music Converter will download songs and begin conversion based on the parameters set in the preferences window. Once converted, click on the "Converted" tab to look for the local Tidal audio files.

How to Play Tidal in Car Offline via a USB Drive

Now, insert a USB drive into your computer. Then copy and paste the well-converted Tidal files to your USB drive folder. Disconnect the USB and plug it into your car. Wait for your car to recognize it. Then you can listen to Tidal music offline in your car without carrying a phone.

Part 7. Which Is the Best Way to Play Tidal in Car?

So, which method should you choose to listen to Tidal music in your car? To help you make up your mind, you can take a look at the differences for these methods.

Part 8. How to Get Better Tidal Sound Quality in Car

To get better sound quality of your favorite Tidal tracks in your car, you need to adjust app settings and improve the physical connection to your vehicle.

1. Optimizing Tidal Streaming Quality

Tidal offers an excellent "Max" quality setting, supporting high-resolution (HiRes) FLAC streaming at up to 24-bit/192 kHz, perfectly reproducing studio-master quality. You need to manually configure the app to use this highest-quality format for both mobile streaming and offline downloads.

Step 1. Open the Tidal app, go to "Settings", and select "Audio & Playback".

Step 2. Tap on "Mobile data streaming", "WiFi streaming", and "Downloads" individually, and change the settings from "Normal" or "Low" to "Max" or "High".

Step 3. Delete and re-download any previously saved offline playlists to ensure they are updated to your newly selected lossless format.

2. Optimizing the Connection

Even if the app outputs studio-master quality audio, standard wireless connections compress the signal before it reaches the speakers. Basic Bluetooth connections lack the bandwidth to efficiently transmit lossless audio files. To preserve the pristine quality of HiRes FLAC files, you must bypass standard wireless transmission protocols entirely. Using a physical cable connection is generally the best way to achieve true lossless playback.

Here are some of the most effective ways to connect your smartphone to your car's audio system:

Direct USB Cable Connection: Plugging your phone directly into the car's USB data port bypasses wireless compression and typically allows for cleaner audio signal processing.

Apple CarPlay or Android Auto: When connected via a physical cable, these smart in-car systems handle audio data far better than basic Bluetooth connections, preserving more of the music's dynamic range.

High-Resolution Wireless Codecs: If you must use a wireless connection, check whether both your Android phone and car head unit support advanced codecs like LDAC or aptX HD, which allow for higher data transmission rates.

3. Upgrading Hardware

If you have optimized your apps and connection method but the sound quality still feels lackluster, the bottleneck likely lies in the vehicle's factory audio system. To cut costs, automakers often equip standard audio systems with cheap speakers and basic digital audio processing units. Upgrading just a few key components can transform your listening experience, allowing Tidal's lossless tracks to truly shine.

Install a DSP (Digital Signal Processor): This device allows you to precisely tune audio frequencies to suit the unique and complex acoustics of your vehicle's cabin.

Replace Factory Speakers: Swapping out the stock paper-cone speakers for high-quality aftermarket replacements can instantly reveal musical details that were previously masked.

Part 9. How to Fix Tidal Not Working in Car

Below are detailed troubleshooting steps for the most common issues encountered when using Tidal in your car.

Issue 1: Tidal Stops Playing in Car

This may occur when your phone screen turns off. So, you need to adjust the battery usage settings.

Fix: Go to your phone's Settings > Battery or Battery Optimization menu, find the Tidal app from the list and change its battery usage setting to 'Unrestricted' or remove it from the 'Deep sleeping apps' list.

Issue 2: Tidal Buffering in Car

Fix: Go to the Tidal app's settings, locate the audio quality section and choose to lower the streaming quality. Or, you can download Tidal music and enable the Offline Mode to enjoy music smoothly.

Issue 3: Tidal Keeps Disconnecting from Car

Fix: Check your phone settings to ensure USB connections are permitted to remain active, and disable any aggressive power-saving modes that might cut power to the USB port.

Issue 4: Tidal App Not Working in Car

Fix: First, make sure that the Tidal app in your car is updated to the latest version. If yes, open your phone's settings and navigate to the App Manager or Storage menu. Then locate the Tidal app and select the option to clear the cache. After that, reopen the app, play a song directly on your phone first, and then connect it to the car's system.

In Conclusion

Today we show you several ways to listen to Tidal in car. You can choose the way that suits you according to your car.

If your car supports the built-in Tidal app, you can directly use it to play music while driving.

If your car is compatible with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, it's easiest to use them to stream Tidal from your phone. But please note that you need an active Tidal subscription.

Other methods like Bluetooth and Aux-In cables require a stable Wi-Fi connection.

However, if you use AudFree Tidal Music Converter, you don't need a Tidal account or an internet connection to play Tidal music in your car. You can easily listen to Tidal music offline in your car via the USB drive without being disturbed by your phone.