Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
Let’s be honest — riding in a driverless car through San Francisco should feel like living in the future. And it mostly does. I’m whizzing past intersections and busy crosswalks, cushioned by a cocoon of AI-powered precision, 29 cameras, six radar units, and five lidar sensors. All of that tech, for a smooth $15 ride.
But until recently, something felt… off.
No, not the driving. The music.
A high-tech ride with low-energy tunes
For too long, Waymo’s in-car music felt like a mismatch — a dated playlist glued onto a self-driving marvel. You could only pick from a few basic stations: lo-fi beats, jazz, K-pop, and a few other random vibes.
If you wanted to cue up your own music, it got complicated fast. iPhone users had to jump through Google Assistant hoops, download extra apps, and whisper commands like digital sorcerers — all while hoping it would actually work. Spoiler: it often didn’t.
Here I was in 2025, silently wondering why playing songs from my phone felt harder in a robotic taxi than in a 2005 Honda. But that’s finally changing.
Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
Spotify comes to Waymo — and it’s smooth
Waymo just rolled out Spotify integration, and it fixes the biggest gap in the robotaxi experience: control over your tunes.
Setting it up is refreshingly simple:
- Open the Waymo app
- Head to the “Music” section
- Tap to connect your Spotify account
- Authorize access
That’s it. Once you’re linked up, Spotify appears on the Waymo’s rear touchscreen. Hop in, tap the icon, and your playlist or podcast starts right where you left off. Yep, even the true crime episode you were halfway through on your headphones.
I tested it out by cueing up a podcast, and sure enough, it picked up exactly where I paused. No fumbling, no assistant commands — just your music, ready to ride with you.
It’s not flashy, but it feels right
This isn’t groundbreaking tech. But that’s kind of the point. We expect this to just work in 2025 — and now, it does.
From the back seat of a driverless car, with my own playlist gently filling the cabin, the experience suddenly feels… personal. A little more like my space.
Some details worth knowing:
- You can adjust audio settings like bass, treble, and subwoofer volume
- There’s an autoplay toggle so music starts automatically when you get in
- Touchscreen controls let you pick from “Daylist” and other Spotify mixes
- You still can’t browse albums, audiobooks, or unfinished podcasts through the Waymo screen — but your Spotify app syncs easily
It’s just enough customization to make a ride feel tailored without being distracting.
What’s next? Hopefully Apple Music
For now, it’s Spotify or bust. Apple Music users are still on the sidelines. Waymo says it’s exploring more personalization options but hasn’t confirmed what’s coming next.
That said, the introduction of Spotify is already a big move. It turns a once oddly silent robotaxi into something personal. Familiar. Even fun.
And let’s be real — once you’ve heard your own music playing from a car that’s driving itself, you kind of never want to go back.
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