Why is Amazon Music not showing my playlist in Android Auto?

What is Android Auto?

Android Auto is a smart driving assistant developed by Google to allow you to use apps from your phone safely while driving. It connects your Android phone to your car’s infotainment display and can provide navigation assistance, hands-free calling and texting, music playback controls, and more through your car’s speakers and touchscreen.

To play music in your car with Android Auto, you need a compatible music app on your phone such as Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, etc. The music app needs to support Android Auto integration in order to show up on your car’s display and be controlled through the touchscreen or steering wheel buttons. Essentially Android Auto projects the interface of the music app onto your car’s screen.

This allows you to browse playlists, radio stations, podcasts and more from apps on your phone without having to handle your phone while driving. You can use voice commands or steering wheel buttons to change songs, adjust volume, and control playback.

Why Playlists Might Not Show in Android Auto

There are a few technical reasons why Amazon Music playlists may not show up in Android Auto:

Android Auto has certain limitations in terms of how many playlists it can display from media apps. If you have a large number of Amazon Music playlists, Android Auto may only show a subset of them. The exact limit depends on your car’s infotainment system, but usually Android Auto will display around 30-50 playlists (Source).

There can also be compatibility issues between the Amazon Music app, Android Auto, and your car’s software. For example, some users have reported Amazon Music playlists not showing in specific car models like Honda and Hyundai (Source). Make sure to update the Amazon Music app and check if your car’s infotainment software is up-to-date.

In some cases, there may be connection issues between your phone and car that prevent Amazon Music from fully syncing playlist data to Android Auto. Issues like laggy Bluetooth, WiFi dropout, or USB connectivity problems can disrupt the syncing process.

If you are able to see some but not all of your Amazon Music playlists in Android Auto, compatibility issues are likely the cause. Try toggling offline playback in the Amazon Music app settings to refresh the playlist cache.

Check That Android Auto is Set Up Correctly

To ensure playlists show up properly in Android Auto, you first need to make sure Android Auto is set up correctly on your device. Here are some tips for setting up Android Auto:

First, make sure the Android Auto app is installed on your Android phone. The app allows your phone to connect to your car’s infotainment system.

Next, connect your Android phone to your car either via USB cable or wireless Android Auto if available. Check that you have allowed the necessary permissions for Android Auto when prompted.

You may also need to enable Android Auto in your car’s infotainment system settings. Consult your owner’s manual for instructions.

Finally, launch the Android Auto app on your phone and follow any setup instructions. Make sure Bluetooth, WiFi, and location services are enabled on your phone as Android Auto needs these.

Once Android Auto is set up correctly, you should be able to access your music apps through your car’s display screen while driving.

Make Sure Playlist is Downloaded for Offline Playback

One common reason a playlist may not show up in Android Auto is if it has not been downloaded for offline playback. Amazon Music allows you to download playlists for offline listening, but this is an extra step you must take before the playlist will be accessible in Android Auto’s offline mode.

To download a playlist for offline playback in the Amazon Music app:

• Open the Amazon Music app and go to the playlist you want to download.
• Tap the “download” icon next to the playlist name.
• The playlist will now download to your device’s storage and be available for offline playback.

According to Amazon’s help documentation, “Amazon Music Unlimited members can download songs, albums, and playlists to listen offline.” Downloaded playlists are available for offline playback in the Amazon Music app itself or through connected devices like Android Auto (source).

So if your playlist is not showing up in Android Auto, first check that you have downloaded it for offline listening in the Amazon Music app. This ensures the playlist content is actually available on your device when there is no internet connectivity.

Check Amazon Music App Settings

One reason your Amazon Music playlists may not be showing up in Android Auto is because you need to enable the “Show Playlists” setting in the Amazon Music app. To do this:

1. Open the Amazon Music app on your Android phone.
2. Tap on the profile icon in the top right corner.
3. Go to Settings and tap on “Show Playlists.”
4. Make sure the toggle is enabled so your playlists show in the app.

Additionally, you may need to allow the Amazon Music app to run in the background in order for it to work properly with Android Auto. To do this:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps > Amazon Music.
2. Make sure “Allow app to run in background” is enabled.

Enabling these settings in the Amazon Music app can help resolve issues with playlists not displaying in Android Auto (source: Amazon Music Settings). Give it a try and see if your playlists now show up when connected to Android Auto.

Update the Amazon Music and Android Auto Apps

One of the most common reasons playlists may not show up in Android Auto is because one of the apps needs an update. To rule this out:

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android device.

2. Search for “Amazon Music” and make sure you have the latest version installed. Tap “Update” if an update is available.

3. Also search for “Android Auto” in the Play Store. Download any pending updates for this app as well.

Keeping your apps fully updated ensures compatibility between Amazon Music and Android Auto. Sometimes new versions fix bugs or add features that allow playlists to work properly in Auto. According to Audfree.com, updating both apps to the latest releases is one of the top solutions for getting Amazon Music playlists to show in Android Auto.¹

So if you haven’t updated in a while, downloading the newest versions of the Amazon Music and Android Auto apps could potentially get your playlists working in Android Auto.

Restart Your Phone

Sometimes simply restarting your Android phone can help resolve issues like playlists not showing up in Android Auto. When you restart your phone, it clears any glitches or bugs that may be preventing Android Auto from properly accessing the Amazon Music app and your downloaded playlists.

To restart your Android phone:

1. Hold down the power button for a few seconds until the power off prompt appears.
2. Tap Power off. Allow your phone to completely shut down.
3. After 30 seconds or so, press and hold the power button again to turn your phone back on.

Once your phone has restarted, open the Amazon Music app and reconnect to Android Auto to see if your playlists are now appearing. A simple restart is often all that’s needed to fix minor technical issues like this.

Clear App Cache and Data

One troubleshooting step is to clear the cache and app data for both the Amazon Music and Android Auto apps. Clearing the cache removes temporary files that can get corrupted or cause issues, while clearing app data resets the app to default settings.

To clear the cache and data for these apps on an Android device:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap Apps or Application Manager.
3. Select the Amazon Music app.
4. Tap Storage, then tap Clear Cache and Clear Data.
5. Return to the apps list and select the Android Auto app.
6. Tap Storage, then Clear Cache and Clear Data for this app as well.

Clearing the cache and data forces the apps to fully reload and resync. This can resolve issues caused by corrupted data or settings (source). After clearing cache and data, reopen the apps and check if playlists now appear properly in Android Auto.

Contact Amazon Music Support

If you have tried the troubleshooting steps and playlists still do not show in Android Auto, you may need to contact Amazon Music support for further assistance. There are a few options for getting in touch with Amazon Music customer service:

Phone: According to the Amazon Music Contact Us page, the best way to get help is through phone or chat. The phone number for Amazon Music customer service is 1-866-216-1072.

Chat: You can initiate a live chat through the Amazon Music Contact Us page. Chat allows you to communicate directly with an Amazon Music support agent.

Email: While not recommended as the best option, you can also email Amazon Music customer support according to the Amazon Music Customer Service Phone Number page.

The Amazon Music support team should be able to further troubleshoot and resolve any ongoing issues with playlists not appearing in Android Auto.

Consider Switching to a Different Music App

If you continue experiencing issues with Amazon Music and Android Auto, you may want to consider switching to a different music app that has better compatibility. Some popular options to consider include:

Spotify: Spotify is one of the most widely used music streaming services and their app generally works very well with Android Auto according to users (Android Auto – Android Apps on Google Play). It has a huge music catalog and features like customized playlists and recommendations.

YouTube Music: YouTube’s music streaming app is also designed to work seamlessly with Android Auto. It gives you access to official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio (Android Auto – Android Apps on Google Play).

Pandora: Pandora has an Android Auto app that lets you enjoy its stations, podcasts and playlists in your car. It tailors music to your tastes and creates customized stations (10 best music players for Android Auto – Android Authority).

Consider testing some other highly rated music apps like Spotify, YouTube Music or Pandora to see if they provide better Android Auto integration than Amazon Music. Switching apps could potentially resolve your issue. Be sure to download the app directly onto your phone rather than through the Android Auto interface.