How to play Spotify in Tesla without Premium or Premium Connectivity?

Spotify has beed added to Tesla since 2019. However, it's important to note that streaming Spotify in a Tesla vehicle requires a Spotify Premium subscription. This requirement has remained unchanged over the years.

I have a Premium Spotify account.
When I get my Model 3, I don't expect to subscribe to Tesla Premium Connectivity.
If I use Bluetooth to connect my phone, will the Spotify UI appear on the Tesla screen?

The topic on Teslamotorsclub has generated a variety of discussions: is it possible to stream Spotify on the Tesla screen without Premium Connectivity? The answer is yes. Here you will find all the details.

Option 1 How to play Spotify in Tesla without Premium Connectivity?

This statement on the support page "Premium Connectivity is required for in-car streaming music & media over cellular." has also been the subject of much debate. Note the emphasis: Premium Connectivity is requiredover cellular. So if you don't use cellular connection, Premium Connectivity is not needed. You can always use Spotify and other services in the car over Wi-Fi without Tesla Premium Connectivity.

1. Connect Tesla to WiFi

To connect to a Wi-Fi network:

1. Touch Controls > Wi-Fi icon at the top of the Controls screen. Tesla begins to scan and display detected Wi-Fi networks that are within range.
2. Select the Wi-Fi network you want to use, enter the password (if necessary), then touch Confirm.
3. Tesla connects to the Wi-Fi network. Whenever the network is within range, Tesla connects to it automatically.

You can also connect to a hidden network that isn't shown on the list of scanned networks. Just touch Wi-Fi Settings, enter the name of the network in the resulting dialog box, select the security setting, then touch Add Network.

To remain connected to Wi-Fi when shifting into Drive or Reverse, choose the connection from the Wi-Fi settings screen, then touch Remain connected in Drive.

Check here for the video tutorial.

2. Connect Tesla to Hotspot

When Wi-Fi is not available, you can create a hotspot with your phone and connect Tesla to this hotspot. You can use the in-car Spotify interface without Premium Connectivity if you connect your phone as a hotspot.

To connect your Tesla vehicle to your phone's hotspot, follow these steps:

1. On your phone, enable the hotspot feature. The steps to do this may vary depending on your phone's operating system (iOS or Android), but typically, you can find it in the settings under the "Personal Hotspot" or "Tethering" section.
2. On your Tesla vehicle, Touch Controls > Wi-Fi icon at the top of the Controls screen.
3. On the Wi-Fi screen, locate and select your phone's hotspot network from the list of available networks.
4. If prompted, enter the password for your phone's hotspot network to establish the connection.
5. Once the connection is established, your Tesla vehicle will be connected to your phone's hotspot, allowing you to access internet-based features and services.

Please note that using a phone's hotspot for internet connectivity in your Tesla vehicle may consume data from your phone plan, and additional charges may apply. Ensure that you have an adequate data plan and consider any data limitations or restrictions imposed by your mobile service provider.

Option 2 How to play Spotify in Tesla without Spotify Premium?

1. Bluetooth

Before playing Spotify in Tesla from Bluetooth-enabled devices such as phone, iPod Touch, an iPad, an Android tablet, you need to pair your Bluetooth-enabled devices with Tesla vehicle first. Here we will take Model Y as example.

1. Ensure both the touchscreen and the phone are powered on.
2. On your phone, enable Bluetooth and ensure it is discoverable.
3. Touch the Bluetooth icon located at the top of the Controls screen. 
4. On the touchscreen, touch Add New Device > Start Search. The Bluetooth settings screen displays a list of all available Bluetooth devices within operating distance.
5. Choose the phone (or device) with which you want to pair. When pairing a phone, the Bluetooth settings screen displays a randomly generated number. Your phone also display a number.
6. Check that the number displayed on your phone matches the number on the Bluetooths settings screen. Then, on your phone, confirm that you want to pair.

When paired, Model Y automatically connects, and the Bluetooth settings screen displays the Bluetooth symbol next to the device name to indicate that the connection is active. Now play Spotify in your paired phone or tablet, sounds will come from Tesla speaker.

If you have connected your iPhone to your Tesla vehicle via Bluetooth but are unable to hear the sound from the Tesla speakers when attempting to play Spotify, don't forget to adjust the audio source within the Media Player screen. Simply select "Bluetooth" from the dropdown list.

2. USB Drive

Tesla also allows you to play music from a USB-connected flash drive. When you connect a USB device, Media Player includes the device as a media source. Insert a flash drive into a front USB port. Touch Media Player > USB, and then touch the name of the folder that contains the song you want to play. After you display the contents of a folder on the USB connected flash drive, you can touch any song in the list to play it. Or use the previous and next arrows in Media Player to scroll through your songs. You can also scroll to next/previous songs using the left scroll button on the steering wheel.

With Ondesoft Spotify Converter, you can easily download Spotify music to MP3 even without Spotify Premium and then add them to flash drive to play in Tesla.

Follow below steps to download and save Spotify music to your Mac/Windows.

1. Run Ondesoft Spotify Converter

Download, install and run Ondesoft Spotify Converter on your Mac or Windows. Log in your Spotify account with the built-in Spotify web player, whether free or premium.

2. Choose output format (optional)

Ondesoft Spotify Converter will download Spotify songs in original format by default, mostly in M4A format. It also supports downloading Spotify music in MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF formats. Click the gear icon on the top right corner to change output format if you need. You can also change the output folder, quality, volume, file name format, etc. according your needs.

3. Select Spotify songs, albums or playlists

Browse or search to find the songs, playlists or albums you want to download with the built-in Spotify web player. Click the red Add to list button to load all songs.

All songs in the playlist or albums will be checked by default. You can uncheck the songs you don't want to download.

4. Click Convert button

Click Convert button to start downloading Spotify music to the format you choose.

After conversion, click below folder icon to quickly locate the DRM-free Spotify songs, albums or playlists in MP3 format. You can then transfer them to USB Drive and play on Tesla.