Rivian is beginning to roll out anApple Musicapp to its electric trucks and SUVs – though it’ll cost you if you don’t plan to use your own Wi-Fi hotspot,The Vergesays. The update should be available for both Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles, and requires aConnect+subscription if you want to use a vehicle’s own hotspot. It’s not available via a Rivian Membership, which is being phased out entirely.
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To transition people, the automaker is offering a 60-day trial of Connect+, which also provides features like satellite imagery, extendedAmazon Alexafunctions, and mobile data for other media apps such as Audible, Spotify, Tidal, and TuneIn. YouTube and Google Cast are labeled as “coming soon,” as is a feature called the Gear Guard Live Cam. Post-trial, Connect+ will be $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year. Remember that Apple Music is normally $11 per month for an Individual membership.
Until today, people with a Rivian Membership were able to stream services like Spotify at no extra cost. That still seems to be true at the moment, but if you have an R1T or R1S, you’ll have to make the leap to Connect+ very soon if you want native cellular access to continue. As mentioned, Rivian’s software does let you connect to your own hotspot, so you may use your own iPhone or Android device to save money.
What about CarPlay?
Rivian is one of the largest holdouts against supportingApple CarPlayorAndroid Auto. Those would make many Connect+ features redundant, since they can project some (though not all) iOS and Android apps on compatible dashboard displays. Instead Rivian vehicles run a unique fork of Android, mostly to support custom options and visual aesthetics.
The other big holdout in the EV space is Tesla. That company is now the more generous one when it comes to mobile data, since it’s offering a $99 annual Premium subscription, and grandfathered unlimited plans for earlier Tesla buyers.
