Spotify is pushing the pedal to the metal in the streaming competition, and it uses the MirrorLink platform for car dashboards to reach the pole position.
The streaming company released an Android app that is accessible through MirrorLink, the popular in-dash smartphone interface. The widespread use of MirrorLink on an increasing number of autos makes Spotify a strong contender for the niche of driving-and-streaming services, at par with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
RockScout app is the gateway for Android apps to reach MirrorLink dashboards, and Spotify is just one of them. It uses the Media Browser Service API from Android so it can run on MirrorLink and it does it seamlessly. What this implies is that Android app will be free of charge in MirrorLink. For car passionates, good news is in store. The app is open source so users that are tech savvy can tweak it to their liking.
"We're obsessed with figuring out how to bring music into every part of your life, wherever you are, whatever you're doing," says Spotify CEO Daniel Ek.
MirrorLink is part of the Connected Cars Consortium, from which names such as, Toyota, Volvo, Volkswagen, GM and Honda are part of. Their partnerships go deep into the smartphone area as well, having cooperation agreements with companies such as Sony, Samsung and LG. More than 100 million phones support MirrorLink compatibility, which adds to the approximately 20 million cars that have the dashboard service as a default feature.
There are strong resemblances between Android Auto and MirrorLink, allowing drivers to simply use the display in their dashboard just as if it were their smartphone's screen. The car controls allows easy navigation through the menus. The developers declared that the app combo RockScout-Spotify will increase road safety, as the driver will no longer fidget with the phone while searching for songs or radio.
Where Android Auto has the advantage is the popularity and the vast number of drivers who heard about the service. Here is where MirrorLink has to pick up speed and market itself as a reliable alternative to the Android service.
A survey by Edison Research and Triton Digital shows that 35 percent of U.S. cell phone owners connected their phones to cars in order to listen to "Internet radio." For comparison, a similar study five years ago ranked the percentage at six. There is a lot of growth potential for the car-streaming technologies. Numbers show that more than half of adult respondents prefer listening to AM/FM radio, while only nine percent opt for online radio.
