Report: Android Auto is being used by fewer drivers, but YouTube Music is a hit in the car

Ben Schoon | Jan 14 2025 - 10:30 am PT

In a new report, Android Auto is found to be used by fewer drivers year-over-year, but Google’s YouTube Music is a hit among drivers across all platforms.

New details shared in the Morgan Stanley Audio Entertainment Survey (via Max Weinbach) reveals that Google’s Android Auto platform is shrinking in terms of user count. The report says that Android Auto is being used by 7% fewer drivers year-over-year while Apple’s CarPlay grew by 2%.

That drop likely comes a combination of users who switched their phones from Android to iPhone, as well as those who may have upgraded to a vehicle where they no longer use Android Auto.

But where Google saw one loss on the market, it’s also seeing success elsewhere.

The same report brings out that more users are opting for Google’s music and podcast service – YouTube Music – for music streaming, podcasts, and “Premium” music subscriptions. That’s even on Apple CarPlay, where more people are using YouTube Music versus Android Auto as a whole. Of course, that’s primarily because there are simply a lot more CarPlay users in total on the roads. In total, YouTube is being used in the car to roughly the same tune as SiriusXM, which has been forcefully bundled in many vehicles over the past 10-15 years. YouTube is also well ahead of Spotify and Apple Music in this regard.