Radio questions

[Sdugan]

Hi,
To all the new Rivian drivers, I was wondering if you could tell me about the radio. I am a big fan of SiriusXM and I saw the YouTube video about the updates and maybe XM being added. In the mean time how are you dealing with the radio,. A rep told me it was just high definition radio, I am not too family with what apps can be used or downloaded. Can I add the SiriusXM app to my screen? Can you hook up your phone to the car and operate it through the touching the screen On the dash? I know this is minor but it’s holding me back from pulling the trigger on one of the trucks. I haven’t listened to regular radio since 2005. Any experience you are willing to share is appreciate.
Thanks

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[Underwhirled]

Currently, you cannot add apps to the Rivian. You can start apps on your phone and Bluetooth to the Rivian Sound system. This works quite well.

The Rivian has these natively:

1) FM radio and HD FM radio (No AM radio)
2) TuneIn Radio (free one year premium subscription)
3) Tidal (Supports paid subscription)
4) Phone - Android or iPhone Bluetooth connection

There is no native Sirius/ XM radio support. There is no wired connection for the playing of music. There is no hard drive storage for music. There is no playing of music through SD cards or flash drives.

Rivian is developing more options/ application support, but that is where we stand today.

 

[Sdugan]

Thanks

 

[MAR1T]

Currently, you cannot add apps to the Rivian. You can start apps on your phone and Bluetooth to the Rivian Sound system. This works quite well.

The Rivian has these natively:

1) FM radio and HD FM radio (No AM radio)
2) TuneIn Radio (free one year premium subscription)
3) Tidal (Supports paid subscription)
4) Phone - Android or iPhone Bluetooth connection

There is no native Sirius/ XM radio support. There is no wired connection for the playing of music. There is no hard drive storage for music. There is no playing of music through SD cards or flash drives.

Rivian is developing more options/ application support, but that is where we stand today.

There is also Spotify (built in app) and Amazon music (only available via Alexa voice commands)

 

[Underwhirled]

Oops I forgot about those!

 

[Sdugan]

Thank You

 

[Stationmaster]

I also loved Sirius, but am now using and enjoying selections from Pandora with the help of Alexa.

 

[electruck]

There are a number of other streaming possibilities available through Alexa skills integrations as well. Unfortunately SiriusXM and Apple Music are not among those.

I've found Amazon Music to be my go-to choice for now. The sound quality is good, there is Alexa support for next/skip track which doesn't work for the native Spotify/Tidal apps, and I just have to ask Alexa to play my Soundtrack Station and I'm all set with a mix of all my favorite music. I did first use soundiiz to import music/playlists from other streaming services since I didn't use Amazon Music prior to getting the Rivian.

 

[Sdugan]

Thanks

 

[Deleted member 7086]

The Rivians do not have satellite antennas. They do not have AUXin plugs nor do the USBc plugs allow inputs. The infotainment center's Bluetooth connectivity is primarily limited to cellphones. If you try SXM Bluetooth connectivity the infotainment center will not recognize it let alone pair with it. Interestingly the Camp Speaker will pair. Presently there are only two ways to get SXM - first through the SXM phone ap which is of course limited to cell tower coverage and secondly by using the SXM FM transmitter method with the SXM antenna. If Rivian adds a native SXM ap to the infotainment center it will presently be limited to cell tower coverage like Tunein, Tidal and Pandora. Because of limited cell coverage where I live and occasional off road travel I use the SXM FM transmitter which is far from perfect but at least functional. It will be interesting to see if Rivian will open up its Bluetooth connectivity and allow the SXM Bluetooth connection to work or allow SXM receiver connection through the USBc plug. Then you could add the SXM antenna and have satellite radio through the infotainment center.

 

[Sdugan]

Thanks

 

[DallasBBQ]

This is one of my biggest complaints after having my R1S for 5 days. Why no support for XM radio? This is standard in almost every car.

 

[Sdugan]

I agree, it’s a lot of money to buy the car. I believe the radio is a major part of the car for drivers and I feel they just failed on it. It’s holding me back from going forward with a purchase,

 

[Trandall]

I agree, it’s a lot of money to buy the car. I believe the radio is a major part of the car for drivers and I feel they just failed on it. It’s holding me back from going forward with a purchase,

I've had Sirius/XM in every car since 2004 and was also apprehensive about the R1T not having it. After a year of ownership it's really no big deal I can still use the XM app and bluetooth and listen that way but more frequently I use the paid tidal subscription (the sound quality is better) or listen to spotify for podcasts. I agree it is a miss to not include native Sirius/XM but not enough to forego all the perks of the R1T. The F-150 lightning has AA/CP with XM radio native so there's always that as an alternative.

 

[ironpig]

I agree, it’s a lot of money to buy the car. I believe the radio is a major part of the car for drivers and I feel they just failed on it. It’s holding me back from going forward with a purchase,

Counterpoint - I haven't listened to traditional or satellite radio in my car for over 8 years. I do not use AM or FM radio as the content is typically awful and full of advertising. I suspect a lot of buyers feel the same these days with the boom in streaming music services, podcasts etc.

You can stream any satellite or traditional radio service via bluetooth audio anyway.

However - Rivians are targeted at people who like adventure travel to remote locations so I can see why including hardware for satellite radio would be more fitting with the brand identity and provide a practical solution for live audio content in locations without cell/wifi service.

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