Zeely’s Volvo Cars has claimed to be the first car maker to integrate the Spotify music streaming service in its new cars worldwide, starting with the XC90, S90 and V90 this spring.

The development was announced at the 2016 Mobile World Conference in Barcelona. Volvo said it had worked closely with the streaming service “to ensure a natural and familiar user interface in the car”. The integration makes the most of the large tablet-like touch screen in the new cars and does away with the need to use a smartphone for music streaming while on the road.

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“Anyone that has used Spotify knows how great it is – you have access to your favourite music, all the time. We are very proud of our unique and custom-made interface,” said Volvo Cars’ marketing, sales and service head Björn Annwall.

Accessing Spotify will require a premium subscription but a 30-day free trial period will be available for those new to the service. The app will be available for the cars in all countries where Spotify is available.

“As before, you can still play music from your Spotify smartphone app in your car, or you can use the in-car app, which will contain all of your favourite playlists, artists and albums. And with Spotify’s ability to deliver extremely high-quality streaming, it has never been a better time to get the most out of the Bowers & Wilkins sound system in our new models,” Annwall added.

Spotify is also available to stream in Volvo models via Bluetooth or through Apple CarPlay. The automaker said the native application in its ‘Sensus’ user interface “provides a much richer experience and a search functionality that non-native applications cannot deliver”. 

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The app includes Spotify’s Connect functionality which allows passengers to use their mobile devices as remote controls for the in-car app without the need to connect their devices to the car or drain their batteries.

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