Automakers really, really want that subscription-based recurring revenue. But most attempts aren’t going all that well. Instead of charging for useful new features added to the vehicles, some have opted to artificially paywall certain upgrades—including some that already come physically installed on the vehicle. Power boosts that make a car faster, headlights that turn with the steering wheel, or even heated seats are all on the piecemeal nickel-and-dime subscription menu for automakers to get some of those sweet, sweet monthly or annual fees.
Of course, most of that stuff has been pretty universally negatively received. Even Volvo’s Chief Technical Officer is backtracking, acknowledging that he sees little chance of success in getting customers to pay up for features that are already there.
So when Rivian released details of its new Connect+ software suite, it felt like the EV startup was falling down the same pipeline as traditional automakers, billing for features that we’ve already had. Rivian R1s already had Spotify natively integrated for free, but now it’s been paywalled and placed under the Connect+ software umbrella.
Of course, Connect+ also added Apple Music and Audible, but is all that worth $14.99 a month? Especially when Apple CarPlay, which Rivian does not offer, would give you some of those functions for free? And this is still a setup where you have to pay for Apple Music monthly, and Rivian's service on top of that.
How is this any different from Rivian charging its customers extra for functionality that just isn’t there?
But it is different. I spent a week with the 2025 Rivian R1S, which had the latest software installed, including Connect+. It's available on the new Rivian models and as a software upgrade on the so-called "Gen 1" R1 models.
In testing, I found that Rivian’s Apple Music integration feels like a glimpse of a world where automakers finally understand what a software-driven connected car can feel like with bringing value to the driver, rather than existing as a means to siphon money from its owner to make the C-suite and stockholders happy.
That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, however.
Why no Apple CarPlay?
Rivian CEO and founder RJ Scaringe has caught some flak for insisting that he’d likely never integrate CarPlay into the brand’s products. To him, CarPlay detracts from the whole Rivian ownership and user experience and the brand would be better off maintaining a closed ecosystem where Rivian controls as much as possible.
On some level, I tend to agree. I could take or leave CarPlay. But the more cars I drive, and especially with EVs, CarPlay almost seems to sit on top of a vehicle’s UX experience, rather than integrate right in. For example, if you’re navigating on Apple or Google Maps on CarPlay, that information isn’t passed over to the vehicle’s in-car navigation software. That means you can forget about whatever charging features like plug-finding that the automaker has baked into its native map system—a key part of any good EV.
Manufacturers like Chevy, Volvo and Polestar have gorgeous in-gauge cluster maps and turn-by-turn directions that are arguably safer than the ones integrated into the main driver-facing screen, but CarPlay’s navigation apps can’t use them because it doesn’t pass that data to the vehicle’s software. That type of user experience is not what Rivian wants.
Thus, Scaringe vowed to add CarPlay’s features natively into its software—and it looks like Apple Music is one of the first features to come.
What’s So Good About Rivian’s Apple Music?
Rivian isn’t the first automaker to integrate Apple Music natively into its software without needing CarPlay. Mercedes-Benz added Apple Music support to its MBUX in-car software in 2021, and Porsche beat them way back in 2019. Yet, whereas Mercedes-Benz and Porsche's integration is another submenu in the car’s standard (ugly) music player, Rivian’s developers went the extra mile.
Instead of a simple music player, the app has the same branding, layout, fonts, and graphic design as the Apple Music player found on a desktop computer or iPad. Everything is right where you’d expect it to be, and it has most of the same functionality as its computer-related software.
For example, all of the playlists that I’ve made on my computer or my iPhone are already populated in the software, including the automatically generated ones based on what I’ve listened to in the past. I can even search the millions of songs in Apple Music’s streaming database—something you can’t do in CarPlay without physically operating the phone.
To me, that slick, seamless integration is the biggest appeal of Rivian Connect+. Even Apple Carplay’s Apple Music function feels relatively basic compared with what Rivian’s offering here. When I don’t want to use Apple Music, it will sit quietly in the background where it’ll stay as a small mini-player while I do something else—like use the navigation, charging or camping features.
I was worried that a more full-featured Apple Music would feel dangerous on the road. There’s no real issue with adding a whole bunch of menus for a computer or phone, but in a car that’s kind of dangerous. Luckily, it mostly felt fine: the team at Rivian did their homework. Rivian’s Apple Music feels perhaps slightly easier than CarPlay. The playlist, artist, and song icons, complete with big album art, are so much bigger than the dinky playlist titles found in the standard Carplay experience.
As a whole, it just feels so well integrated into the rest of the Rivian software experience. When I traded the Rivian R1S for a Fiat 500e with CarPlay, I felt like I went from playing music at a nice home entertainment center to blasting music on my phone on a city bus with no headphones. It was fine, but the 500e’s very good CarPlay integration felt pretty dated by comparison.
Where Rivian Gets It Wrong
As impressive as Rivian’s Apple Music integration is, there were a few quirks that I found annoying, especially near the end of my time with the car.
For starters, the Apple Music search is wonky. My Apple Music Library is about 4,500 songs, but about a third of them are mixes or downloads from smaller artists I’ve found on Bandcamp or Soundcloud. The files play just fine on the Rivian system, but the search feature only looks through Apple’s catalog, not your own personal music library linked to Apple Music. It was frustrating to search for a song that I wanted to hear, only for Apple Music to say “no results.” I would then have to find the song manually in the artists or song menus in my library; not ideal.
This prioritization of Apple Music’s search and songs over your library manifested in other ways, too. The ability to favorite a song feature was hit or miss. Some of the tracks I’ve added from smaller artists that weren’t cross-referenced by Apple Music were unable to be favorited.
Although I liked the Apple Music interface, the queue list of upcoming songs is locked into the main Apple Music app. Navigating back, and opening that interface requires one too many strokes for my liking. It would be nice to see those in the Mini player. Then, there’s no “add to queue” feature, so your playlists are just your playlists. What’s the point of searching for a song, album, or artist, when after the song is over, it’s back to navigating menus again? Weirdly, the music queue is easily viewed in the R1’s back seat screen.
Rivian’s voice assistant and voice control features are run through Amazon Alexa. They work well, but Amazon Alexa can’t do any interactions in Apple Music aside from basic instructions like “play next song,” or “stop.” If you asked to play a song, it would revert to Amazon Music. I don’t have an Amazon Music account.
Finally, there's no cache. It's common for Apple Music users to download some songs directly to the device itself to make things faster or easier when there’s no internet or cell service. Occasionally, the truck did have less than ideal cell service, which resulted in times when I drove in silence for more than a few moments while the truck lay in waiting for an internet connection to start streaming music again.
Some owners have complained that Apple Music isn’t really functional on outdoor excursions. A way to cache songs would greatly help the campers and off-grid adventurers Rivian markets its vehicles toward.
Yes, It’s Worth It
Despite all of that, I still think it is worth the $14.99 a month.
I fully understand that my complaints all sound like a laundry list of frustrating quality-of-life issues,but they felt so minor compared to the stellar integration Rivian’s already done. My critiques feel like small potatoes, and I’d wager that Rivian’s already hard at work improving the system. During my initial impression, I wasn’t thrilled with the responsiveness of Rivian’s system as a whole, but an over-the-air update that occurred while I had the truck dramatically improved performance.
But the way Apple Music is cohesively integrated into the Rivian’s interface feels sophisticated and tech-forward. To me, the Rivian R1’s infotainment felt like the closest thing I’ve experienced in the U.S. to China’s hyper-connected EVs; there was real thought and attention to design and how it plays with the rest of the interface, even if it isn’t perfect. Apple Music here feels tailor-made to the Rivian experience, whereas the “native” apps I've experienced on other brands just don’t feel like they’ve had any effort put into how they’re made or how they affect the vehicle user experience.
Right now, Rivian only has Apple Music and Spotify, but Google Cast and YouTube are not far behind. I would love to see more native integration of other streaming media apps, like say, Soundcloud or Bandcamp.
If we’re gonna enter the era of recurring subscription services for our cars, I’d rather it be like this, instead of manufacturers nickel and diming us like a coin-op in-unit apartment washer and dryer. Because if we have to pay monthly for the heated seats that we already have, then we’re just going to have to learn how to jailbreak a car.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
