YouTube is now available on Android Auto but it doesn't come without a catch

Android Auto now supports YouTube, but do not get too excited just yet.

After years of workarounds and third-party hacks, the app has made its official debut on car screens.

The catch is that it behaves very differently from what users are used to on their phones.

And depending on how you use YouTube, it may feel more limited than liberating.

You’re going to need YouTube Premium, too

The update was first spotted by a Reddit user, and it shows YouTube appearing within Android Auto’s media controls.

Drivers can play, pause, and skip through content directly from their infotainment screen, much like they would with music apps.

However, before you get too happy, there is still one major limitation: video playback is completely disabled.

Instead of showing visuals, YouTube on Android Auto functions purely as an audio streaming service, similar to Spotify or YouTube Music.

This means users can technically play any video, but only the sound will come through the speakers.

As a result, the feature is best suited for podcasts, interviews, and news content rather than traditional videos.

There are a few more compromises to keep in mind.

You cannot scrub through a video to jump to a specific moment, and the skip button simply takes you to the next video.

Browsing options are also limited, which is in line with Android Auto’s safety-first design philosophy.

To make matters more restrictive, background playback is required, meaning only paying subscribers can actually use the feature.

In the US, that starts with YouTube’s Premium Lite plan at $7.99 per month, while the full Premium subscription costs $13.99.

Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay

While both platforms aim to reduce distractions, their app ecosystems differ in subtle ways.

Android Auto tends to be slightly more flexible, allowing a wider range of apps, including messaging platforms and navigation alternatives.

CarPlay, on the other hand, is known for being more tightly controlled.

Apps like Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze are supported on both systems, as are music apps like Spotify.

However, Apple is generally stricter about what developers can do, which is why video-based apps like YouTube have not appeared on CarPlay in any form.

That said, both platforms ultimately share the same goal of keeping drivers focused on the road.

While it’s nice to see some YouTube integration into Android Auto, it’s perhaps for the best that it cannot be used in its full form.

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