Spotify announced on Wednesday that it is debuting a next‑generation, fully native in‑car application built on Google’s Android Automotive operating system. The standalone app, which becomes available today in select Audi models, runs directly on the vehicle’s infotainment hardware, removing the need for phone tethering, Bluetooth connections, or aux cables.
The rollout is the clearest indication yet that Spotify is prepared to move beyond Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the popular phone‑projection systems that currently dominate how most drivers consume media in their cars. And with 34 percent of Spotify’s monthly active users and 77 percent of Premium subscribers…