Apple Music comes natively to Volvo cars, with three months free for new subscribers

Volvo has begun integrating Apple Music into more than two million Volvo cars through an over-the-air software update. Meanwhile, the new EX60 will be the first model of the manufacturer to leave the factory with the service already embedded natively. To encourage adherence, the automaker will offer up to three free months of Apple Music to eligible customers who are new subscribers or returning to the platform — an offer that can be redeemed through the Volvo Cars app until July 6, 2027.

The update will be distributed to the EX90, ES90, XC90, S90, V90, XC60, S60, V60, XC40, EX40 and EC40 models, starting in the 2020 model year, depending on the compatibility of each vehicle. Not by chance this is the cut: they are the Volvos equipped with the Android and Google based multimedia system integrated, in an architecture that allows you to receive the application natively, without depending on the cell phone. In practice, the user logs in with their own Apple account and starts to access more than 100 million songs without ads, in addition to playlists and live radios, all controlled by the multimedia center screen or by voice commands.

EX90 owners and future EX60 and ES90 owners will still be able to listen to Apple Music in Spatial Audio, with Dolby Atmos technology and enhanced Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system. The combination distributes music and vocals throughout the cabin, with the aim of putting the occupants at the center of the sound — something close, in the brand’s description, to a live performance.

It’s not a trivial detail for Volvo. According to the company, the EX60, EX90 and ES90 are the quietest cars it has ever produced, thanks to state-of-the-art sound insulation that serves as the basis for high-fidelity audio. In Brazil, the EX90 is already sold with the Bowers & Wilkins set, and the same package — supported by True Sound technology, with high-performance speakers scattered throughout the cabin — will also arrive on the ES90 and EX60. In the other models, the system remains an optional item, chosen at the time of configuration.

“Many of our customers already use Apple Music on their mobile phones or at home,” said Alwin Bakkenes, global head of Software Engineering at Volvo Cars, who said that bringing the service directly to the car transforms the vehicle into “an extraordinary place to experience music”. The company did not detail a country-by-country timeline, but the release follows the brand’s strategy of keeping cars updated throughout their useful life through software, rather than leaving them parked in the factory configuration.