YouTube is rolling out support for Android Auto, but there are quite a few catches with it and it could be another way to get you to sign up to Premium

Date:
Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:11:55 +0000

Description:
YouTube support for Android Auto is finally here, but it may not be the full YouTube experience that users were hoping for.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter YouTube has rolled out support for Android Auto with playback controls The catch is that it doesn't play videos, and you can only stream audio You also need YouTube Premium for it to work, as it's essentially background play YouTube is finally rolling out support for Android Auto, the app that allows you to mirror your smartphone screen to your cars dashboard but before your excitement takes over, you should note that it comes with a slew of limitations.

The video platform has been quite silent with this launch however, and
instead of formally announcing the integration, users online have come across it themselves like in this Reddit post . As it stands, Android Auto is pretty strict with what you can and cant do while your car is in motion which, when it comes to eliminating visual distractions while driving, is a safety no-brainer. That said, YouTube on Android Auto is not the YouTube you know
and love.

For starters, Android Auto removes one of YouTubes key elements and thats its video player, meaning you wont be able to watch anything and can only listen to audio playback just like the best music streaming services . In theory,
you can play any type of content you want, but youll only be able to listen
to its audio which wont be a huge setback if you exclusively listen to podcast episodes or videos that are ideal for audio-only listening. Article continues below You may like YouTube Premium Lite just got better with two
new upgrades we've been waiting a year for YouTube might be planning to
charge users to use its playback-speed tool Google rolls out unskippable ads to YouTube's TV experience to lure more Premium users (Image credit: Reddit / u/IGameShit) Though it takes away YouTubes biggest functionality, it doesnt come as a huge surprise and is arguably the most sensible thing to do to ensure safe driving. Not only that, it doesnt offer full-screen viewing or
the option to browse for content, and playback controls are also limited on top of that. As reported by 9to5Google , you wont be able to skip forward within a video, and the current skip button will take you straight to the
next video in the queue. You can still pause and play audio from the player screen, but you wont have access to YouTubes complete slew of playback tools.

Until now, users have been relying on workarounds to get YouTube working on Android Auto, so I can see this integration being widely welcomed. But it wouldnt be classic YouTube if there werent a YouTube Premium catch. A secret YouTube Premium persuasion strategy Did you think you could get away with streaming YouTube through Android Auto for free? I hate to break it to you, but youre going to need a YouTube Premium subscription in order to do so. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

In typical YouTube style, Android Auto integration is another functionality thats being paywalled behind Premium and its all because of background play, which is required for streaming through Android Auto. As this is a tool only available to paying subscribers, only those with a membership will be able to stream YouTube on a car dashboard, and the way I look at it is this is yet another strategy YouTube is using to get more people signing up to Premium.

The cheapest way to do this is through YouTube Premium Lite which costs $7.99 / 7.99 / AU$8.99 a month, a relatively new tier that was launched last year. Background viewing and offline downloads were added just a few months back , but while it offers majority ad-supported viewing, this doesnt apply to music and other music-related content. If youre like me and use YouTube for all things music and live performances, the standard Premium plan is your best option. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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