How to Use Amazon Music on Android Auto [Fixes Included]

There is nothing better than your favorite playlist playing while driving. Android Auto makes that easy by bringing apps like Amazon Music right onto your car’s dashboard screen in a way that’s friendly and distraction-free. Even better? You can control everything hands-free.

If it’s your first time connecting, you can learn how to set up and use Amazon Music on Android Auto from this guide. If you’ve already used Amazon Music on Android Auto before, we've also covered common problems and their fixes.

And for those who prefer the offline and stable method, we’ll introduce you to Eassiy All-in-one Music Converter which lets you download Amazon Music to USB drives. So, you can enjoy Amazon Music offline in car without Android Auto/CarPlay/Bluetooth.

How to Use Amazon Music on Android Auto

Playing Amazon Music on your car's infotainment system through Android Auto involves a few simple steps and requirements.

What You Need:

To get Amazon Music running on Android Auto, here are the basic things you’ll need:

• A car or stereo system that supports Android Auto — This includes most 2016+ vehicles with built-in support or any recent aftermarket unit. Over 400 models are supported through either a wired or wireless connection.
• An Android phone running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or higher — The Android Auto app should be installed and enabled. While technically Android 5.0+ may work (some Redditors have said it does), we recommend Marshmallow and above for smooth pairing and performance.

• An active Amazon Music account — Whether you’re using the free tier, Amazon Prime Music, or Amazon Music Unlimited, you’ll need the app and a decent internet connection for it to function properly.

Step 1: Install Amazon Music and Android Auto on Phone

If you're on Android 9 or earlier, you must install the Android Auto app manually from the Google Play Store. On Android 10 or newer, Android Auto is already built in your Settings app.

In either case, just open Android Auto. Most of the setup and permissions are handled automatically. Still, you can customize important things like: message notifications to show up, starting music automatically, and so on.

Similarly, install the Amazon Music app and sign in with your account, whether it's Free, Prime, or Unlimited.

There are a couple of optional tweaks too. You can ask Google Assistant to make Amazon Music your default music app, which helps shorten voice commands like “Play workout playlist” without mentioning the app name.

Step 2: Connect Phone to Car

To get started with Android Auto, you will have to set up a connection between your phone and car head unit. This setup is only needed once. After that, it will connect seamlessly.

Now, there are two ways to do this: using a USB cable or connecting wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

So, let’s just look at both of them.

Option 1: Use USB Cable

The USB cable method is straightforward, but it’s not as simple as using any cable. Most car models support USB 2.0, but newer vehicles now also come with USB-C or micro USB-C ports. Whatever the case, make sure the cable supports both data and power transfer. 

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Plug your Android phone into the car’s USB port marked with a trident-like USB symbol.

2. Your dashboard screen will flash a prompt asking if you want to enable Android Auto. Tap Yes to proceed.

3. Once permissions are granted, your dashboard will direct you to complete the setup on your phone. Ensure you’re parked. Then, follow the on-screen instructions there.

Once done, tap a Connect button on the dashboard manually (like in some Honda models) or it would connect automatically.

That’s it. The screen will refresh and all the compatible apps from your phone will be displayed on your car’s infotainment system, including Amazon Music.

Option 2: Use Bluetooth

The Bluetooth method is a blessing once set up. The moment you step into the car next time, as long as your phone’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are both turned on, your phone will connect to the car automatically.

That said, this method isn’t supported on all cars. So make sure your model has:

• Come with Android Auto Wireless out of the box (usually 2019+ models or high-end trims).
• Or you’ve got an aftermarket unit that supports it (like Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer, etc.)

Also, your phone must be running Android 11 or higher and support 5 GHz Wi-Fi. If that’s you, you’re good to go.

Now here’s how the setup works:

1. Start from your car’s infotainment screen. Go to the media or mobile section whose name differs based on car brands. For instance, in BMW, it’s called Mobile Devices.

2. Tap on Connect new device.

3. Switch to your phone and make sure both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are turned on.

4. Your phone’s name will now appear on the car screen. Tap on it to begin pairing.

You’ll see a six-digit passkey on both the phone and the dashboard. Just make sure it matches and then hit Pair on your phone.

5. Once it’s paired, your car will ask you which system to continue with. You’ll likely see Start Android Auto or Continue with iDrive. Select Start Android Auto.

That’s it. Your phone will now mirror on the car screen and you’ll see all the compatible apps, including Amazon Music and everything else.

Step 3: Play Amazon Music on Android Auto

Depending on your car model, there are multiple ways to play Amazon Music. 

Option 1: Via Voice Commands

In most cars, you’ll find a dedicated voice button on the steering wheel. The button is usually marked with a microphone or waveform symbol.

Once configured, this button can activate Google Assistant or Alexa, depending on the car model. For example, Ford’s SYNC infotainment comes with Alexa integration natively.

You can change which assistant Android Auto uses by changing the default assistant on your Android phone.

The general steps to use Voice assistant to play Amazon Music in car are:

1. Press and hold the voice command button on your steering wheel. Your digital assistant, Google Assistant or Alexa, will appear on the dashboard screen, actively listening.

2. Say a command like: "Play my Road Trip playlist on Amazon Music".

The playback bar will then appear on the dashboard. Within seconds, your music will begin via Amazon Music, running on Android Auto.

Option 2: Via Touch Screen

This one is just the good old touch-tap method. It’s especially helpful on older infotainment systems or if you don’t want to use your voice every time.

Android Auto also gives you that little speaker icon at the bottom of the screen. Yeah, the assistant shortcut. So even if you want to say something, you can still tap to start.

1. Tap the Amazon Music icon from your Android Auto screen.

2. After that, choose any playlist or album you want to play.

3. Once selected, your song will begin playing. You can use the play/pause and skip buttons from here too, just like you would on your phone.

Fixed: Amazon Music Not Working on Android Auto

Even after you’ve added Amazon Music to the Android Auto’s customized launcher section, it doesn’t always work properly. For example, the app doesn’t open at all or it is freezes. Or worse, the music plays but keeps stuttering. Don’t worry, here are a few fixes. 

Fix 1. Update Amazon Music and Android Auto Apps

Many users think that Android Auto being baked right into the system now, doesn’t need updates anymore, but you’d be wrong.

• Open Google Play Store, type Android Auto and you will see an Update button.

• The same goes for Amazon Music: if the Update button appears, don’t skip it.

Many Android Auto issues vanish, once both apps are on the latest versions.

For most users, Amazon Music v25.1 or higher and Android Auto v14.5 or above are reported to work smoothly. And if you’re planning to use this setup regularly, just tick Auto-update for these two apps so they stay fresh without you needing to worry.

Fix 2. Use Older Version of Amazon Music App

Now, this sounds counterintuitive, especially after we just told you to update everything.

Still, hear this out: many Redditors and Android Auto users have actually found success by reverting Amazon Music to an earlier version that played nicer with their car system.

It’s not as straightforward as pressing a "downgrade" button. Instead, you’ll have to take a couple of extra steps, but it's doable.

Here’s how:

• First, uninstall the current Amazon Music app from your phone.
• Then head to trusted APK archive sites like APKMirror or UpToDown.
• Look for older versions, preferably from 2020 to early 2023, which users often say worked more smoothly with Android Auto.
• Download the APK and make sure your phone allows installation from unknown sources. 
• Once installed, test if the older version now shows up on your Android Auto interface.

Tip: Many people say Amazon Music versions before 23.0 work more reliably, especially on older Android Auto systems. So give it a shot.

Fix 3. Listen to Amazon Music Without Android Auto

When Amazon Music isn’t working or you just don’t want to deal with all those playback restrictions, ads, or shuffle limits on Android Auto (which are common with Prime accounts), the best alternative is to download your songs as open files. MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC —these formats can be played on virtually any device or car stereo. This is where StreamFox for Music, the all-in-one music converter comes in.

Once you login the Amazon Music browser within StreamFox, you simply select your playlists, albums, or individual songs, to convert them into open formats like MP3 with full bitrate control(320kbps-128kbps). And since the music downloads are saved in organized folders, you can copy them straight to your USB drive, plug it into your car and start music playback. 

Steps to Download Amazon Music to USB

Make sure to format the USB drive properly first. Use FAT32 or exFAT, as NTFS isn’t supported by most car infotainment systems. Your car’s manual will confirm which one is ideal.

Now let’s walk through the actual steps:

Step 1. Download and install StreamFox for Music on your Windows or Mac. Once launched, just click on the Amazon Music icon.

Step 2. You’ll now see a familiar Amazon Music login screen. Go ahead and sign in using your free, Prime, or Unlimited account.

Step 3: After logging in, you’ll be in your complete Amazon Music library, right within StreamFox. Choose wanted tracks, playlists or albums and drag them into the + icon at the right corner.

Step 4. At this point, insert your USB drive into the computer. Then head to the bottom right of StreamFox Converting window and click the Output path option.

In the folder selection window, simply choose your USB stick. That way, all the downloads will go directly where you need them.

Step 5: Once you’re ready, click the Convert All button.

All your selected songs will begin downloading and they’ll land directly into the folder you picked on the USB stick, already organized by album or playlist.

Steps to Play Amazon Music Offline via USB on Car

Step 1. Insert the USB drive into your car’s infotainment USB port.

Step 2. Browse folder-wise depending on your infotainment system’s interface and hit Play. The songs will play with all the metadata beautifully.

Fix 4. Switch to Other Music Services

This one’s not exactly a fix, but more of an alternate route if Amazon Music is giving you too much headache.

See, services like YouTube Music, Spotify, and even Google Podcasts are all been heavily praised for their seamlessness with Android Auto. They just work. YouTube Music, for instance, practically feels embedded inside the Android Auto system. Spotify too has spent years polishing its integration with Android Auto.

Conclusion

So that’s what a simple thing like setting up Amazon Music on Android Auto looks like. You’ve now seen all the ways to connect Amazon Music to Android Auto, the different ways to play Amazon Music on Android Auto, and even the fixes for issues occurring when using Amazon Music on Android Auto. 

And then there’s StreamFox for Music. You can use it to download your tracks to USB and play them in your car via USB. The songs will look great on the infotainment system with all the artwork, song info, and sound quality intact.