How to Get Tidal CarPlay Working with/without Subscriptions

Part 1. How to Stream Tidal on CarPlay Offline without a Subscription

Although Apple CarPlay supports the Tidal app officially, it needs you to subscribe to a paid Tidal plan. Besides, many users have reported a variety of Tidal CarPlay issues. Plus, when you listen to Tidal on CarPlay online, you'll spend a lot of phone traffic.

If you want to get around all of these limitations, you can try to play Tidal offline on Apple CarPlay without paying Tidal. All you need to do is download Tidal music locally with the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. Then, you are able to play the downloaded Tidal songs on your CarPlay via a USB drive, iPhone, or the Apple Music app.

The smart AudFree Tidal Music Converter allows you to convert Tidal music to MP3 and other 5 universal formats. You can use it to get Tidal audio files that are compatible with your different devices not just the Apple CarPlay. Thus, you are able to listen to Tidal music on any device even if it doesn't support Tidal.

With advanced technology, AudFree preserves the 100% HiFi quality and 100% Master quality of Tidal tracks. Additionally, ID3 tags such as artist, title, album, etc. are fully preserved in the output files. This is really convenient to check the information of the songs on your Apple CarPlay anytime.

How to Download Tidal for Apple CarPlay

Simply click the 'Download' button above to install the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. Then follow the steps below to use Tidal on Apple CarPlay without any hassle.

Step 1Add Tidal music to AudFree

Launch AudFree Tidal Music Converter on your desktop. The Tidal app will automatically open later. Pick up any song or playlist in the Tidal app. Then copy and paste the link of the audio to the search box in the AudFree software. Hit the "+" bar to load the track. Alternatively, you can drag and drop songs from Tidal directly to AudFree's main interface.

Step 2Customize Tidal output settings for Apple CarPlay

For the Mac computer, go to the Mac's menu and find the "AudFree Tidal Music Converter" option. For the Windows computer, head to the "menu" icon on the top in AudFree. And go to "Preferences" > "Convert". There you can edit the output settings.

Step 3 Convert Tidal music for Apple CarPlay

Click the big "Convert" bar on the main window, and it will start the conversion process. When the conversion is over, please follow the on-screen red spot to locate the "Converted" folder to find the downloads.

How to Make Apple CarPlay Tidal Work Together Offline

Now, you can transfer downloaded Tidal songs to your USB drive, the Apple Music app, or iPhone to stream on the Apple CarPlay.

Way 1: Make Tidal Apple CarPlay Work Together via a USB Drive

Find the converted Tidal songs in your computer's local folder. Then plug a USB drive into your computer and copy & paste the Tidal files to USB drive. Finally, you can insert this USB drive into your car and stream Tidal on CarPlay offline without a subscription.

Way 2: Make Tidal CarPlay Work Together via the Apple Music App

Open the 'iTunes' app (also called 'Apple Music') on your computer. Select 'Menu' > 'File' > 'Add File to Library'/'Add Folder to Library' to transfer Tidal music to iTunes. Then, connect your iPhone to the Apple CarPlay by a USB cable and open the Apple Music app on your phone to play Tidal on Apple CarPlay.

Way 3: Make CarPlay Tidal Work Together via iPhone

Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. Next, import Tidal downloads from your PC to your mobile. Then, you can use the USB cable to link your phone to your car so you can directly play Tidal on CarPlay.

See also: How to Listen to Tidal on iPhone Online

Part 2. How to Play Tidal on Apple CarPlay Online with a Subscription

In recent years, Tidal has become increasingly popular for playback on CarPlay. You can listen to your favorite Tidal music in your car by paying for a Tidal subscription.

What you need to make Tidal Apple CarPlay work:

• Your iPhone should be an iPhone X or higher model.
• Your car stereo is equipped with the Apple CarPlay in-car system.
• You have an active Tidal subscription, HiFi or HiFi Plus.
• You have the latest Tidal application on your iPhone.

First, check the list of compatible Apple CarPlay cars to find out if your car is compatible with Apple CarPlay. Then follow the steps below to use Apple CarPlay Tidal in your car.

Step 1. Plug your iPhone into the USB port of your car via a USB cable. Then the 'Apple CarPlay' icon or a 'smartphone' icon will show up on the car's built-in display.

Step 2. Go to the 'Settings' app on your iPhone. Then tap on 'General' > 'CarPlay' > 'Available Cars'. In the list of available cars, tap your car.

Step 3. Open the latest Tidal app on your iPhone. Then it will be replicated on your car's display.

Step 4. On your car's touch screen, tap 'Tidal' and start to browse and play Tidal music in the car via Apple CarPlay.

Part 3. How to Fix Tidal CarPlay Issues

"Why is Tidal not working on CarPlay since I updated to iOS 15 on iPhone 12?" There are many reports of Tidal CarPlay issues. If you also encounter some problems, try the fixes below.

1. Unpair your iPhone from the car and then pair it back.

2. Update the Tidal application to the latest version. You can go to your app store on phones or Tidal's official website on computers to find the latest version.

3. Update your iPhone device to the newest version. On the 'Settings' app, find the 'Software Update' section to update.

4. Enable Siri on your iPhone to stream Tidal on CarPlay. You can enable Siri on 'Settings' > 'Siri & Search'.

5. Allow Apple CarPlay to play while your phone is locked.

6. Make sure the CarPlay is not restricted on your phone.

7. Enable cellular data on your phone. You should go to 'Settings' > 'Cellular' > 'Cellular Data' to switch on the button.

8. Restart your iPhone and your car.

9. Ask for help from Apple Support.

10. Use the AudFree Tidal Music Converter for playing Tidal on CarPlay offline without any issue.

Part 4. FAQs about Tidal CarPlay

Q1: Does Tidal Work on Apple CarPlay?

A: Yes. Since 2017, Tidal users can play Tidal directly from their cars by connecting their iPhones. Just make sure you have a compatible iPhone and that your car stereo is equipped with Apple CarPlay.

Q2: What Streaming Service Does CarPlay Support?

A: Apple CarPlay now supports Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Audible, and so on.

Q3: Can I Use Siri to Control Tidal on CarPlay?

A: Yes, you can control Tidal music playback on Apple CarPlay with a few commands from Siri like "Hey, Siri. Play [the name of songs] on Tidal" and "Hey, Siri. Play the next song".

Q4: How Can I Listen to Tidal on Apple CarPlay?

A: You can connect your iPhone to your car and then open the Tidal app on your iPhone to get Tidal on your car's touchscreen. But this method requires an active Tidal subscription. And a better way to enjoy Tidal CarPlay is to use the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. You can use it to download Tidal music and transfer it to your car via a USB drive. You can then play Tidal offline in your car without a Tidal subscription.

Q5: What Quality Is Apple CarPlay Tidal?

A: For Tidal CarPlay quality, you can play lossless FLAC Tidal songs on Apple CarPlay.

Part 5. Summary

With a Tidal CarPlay integration, you can simply stream Tidal on Apple CarPlay online by Tidal Premium. Besides, you can use AudFree Tidal Music Converter to get Tidal audio as local files without Tidal plans and then enjoy on CarPlay offline. In this way, you can use a USB drive, the Apple Music app, or an iPhone to help you.