How to Use Car View On Spotify

Spotify has added a safety feature on Android devices to make driving with streaming music more driver-friendly. This feature is called Car View, and it's available only on Android devices. Car View detects your vehicle’s Bluetooth and changes the playing interface to a simpler one that's easier to see and use while driving.

Prerequisites for Car View

There are a few prerequisites for using Car View in Spotify. You need:

• An Android device. You can use either a smartphone or tablet as long as it has Android on it. 
• Bluetooth enabled both on your smartphone and in your vehicle. See your car manual to enable or confirm Bluetooth is on or if you even have Bluetooth. (Most modern cars have this feature but you can add it to older vehicles. Check your local tech store or Amazon for an inexpensive Bluetooth car kit.)
• Your smartphone or tablet paired to the car via Bluetooth. Without this pairing, your car or truck won’t be able to play music through the speakers, but Car View will still play through your Android device in your vehicle.
• A Spotify account. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a free account or a premium account (paid subscription).
• The Spotify app installed on your Android smartphone or tablet.

Once you’ve confirmed these items, the next thing is to get Car View set up.

How to Confirm or Enable Car View

By default, Car View is enabled. However, if you’ve accidentally turned it off or you connect your phone via an auxiliary or line-in connection, your car may not be aware of this feature. To confirm or enable this setting, follow these steps:

1. Open the Spotify app and tap Your Library at the home screen.

2. At the top right corner, tap the cogwheel to open the Settings.

3. Scroll down midway until you reach the Car section.

4. Next to Car View, make sure the slider switch is set to the right. It is green when enabled.

About the Car View Interface

Once you start your car, Spotify recognizes your vehicle and switches from its normal interface to the minimalized interface. This clean interface has removed the album cover giving the driver a distraction-free interface. 

The Car View interface makes it easy to see who the performer is, the song, and other operations. Looking at the screen below, you’ll see the comparison of the normal view (left side) vs. Car View (right side). The basic interface has the following options:

• Song title
• Performer
• The song progress bar.
• Previous (Looks like a rewind button.)
• Pause\Play
• Next (Looks like a fast-forward button.)
• Favorite (Heart)
• Song shuffle button.

How to Turn Off Car View

While Car View offers a safer driving experience while listening to your favorite tunes, your passenger may want to enjoy seeing album covers or using other features in Spotify. There are two ways to disable the Car View feature. One is to disable for the current trip, and the other is to turn off the feature completely. 

To temporarily disable Car View, tap the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the Car View interface. That will open up the option to temporarily disable the Car View. Tap Turn Off Car View to disable until your next drive. Alternatively, you can tap Cancel to go back to Car View.

To completely disable Car View:

1. From the Home screen, tap Library.

2. At the top right corner tap the cogwheel (Settings).

3. Scroll down midway until you get to the Car section. Next to Car View, make sure the slider switch is set to the left. (Option will be grayed out if disabled.)