Unexpected monthly subscriptions for my new Rivian

[BigSkies]

Rivian is heavily pushing people towards streaming subscriptions, and I friggin hate it. The vehicle is great, but this is the infotainment thing that drives me batty.

I have no problem with Rivian including streaming options, but every option for your own music feels deliberately designed to be craptastic.

I've used Spotify and Apple Music. They make the vehicle experience much better. But I'm over streaming and going back to bluetooth.

I'd recommend trying bluetooth before you go to a streaming service. Then try a streaming service if it isn't for you.

Connect+ is reasonable value for the money.

I subscribe to the Tesla and Electrify America subscriptions only when I'm on road trips. You can sign up for a month at a time. The EVGo subscription is useless, as most EVGo stations don't participate in their subscription program (at least on routes I travel).

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[Mellowyellow]

I'm waiting for my order invite on my new R2 coming between September and October this year. This will be my first EV and I'm so excited, but with that some unexpected subscriptions will follow, and I would like to know how others deal with it. I personally try to avoid subscriptions (I do have a few) where I can.
Here are a few subscriptions I might need:

Music
Currently I have USB memory sticks in all our cars with ~1500 songs (alt rock, classic rock, 90s). Looks like I can't use those USB sticks anymore in my new R2. I'm not a radio listener, so this is not an option for me. Are there any other options other than getting a subscription from Spotify, Apple Music, SiriusXM etc.?

Charging Networks
I heard Tesla has subscriptions for their superchargers to get better rates. I'm not sure if this is something to consider. I'm not a frequent driver working from home with a few long-distance trips a year. Not sure if there are other subscriptions from other companies and if any of them are worth to consider.

Rivian
Connect+
I know this is not a must have since some of the features come standard. Still, I would like to hear from others if this is something you should pay for.

Autonomy+
Thankfully the R2 Lauch Edition comes automatically with this service. So, no extra cost for this.

Not sure if I forgot another subscription to plan for. I understand that none of them are required.
Again, I'm new to EVs and the R2 will be my first new car (always bought 12 months old cars). Just want to be prepared for what's coming...

Thank you

I wouldn’t say unexpected monthly subscriptions anymore, right?

 

[mkhuffman]

Thank you for all tips.
Good to know that I can sign up for the Tesla chargers only when I need them doing a long-distance trip and then cancel until I need the service again.

I was hoping to use my phone via Bluetooth to listen to my music collection. I have more than ~1200 songs on it. That leads me to an off-topic question, is there any benefit having a music streaming service? I don't listen to any new song that hits the market. I have my music collection on my and my wife's phone and other devices. So, I always have "Offline" access to all my songs.

Coming back to the data usage. I have a basic plan "Essentials" from T-Mobile on both of our phones. In case I would choose a music streaming service, I guess I might run into a problem. Would Rivian Connect+ cover that?

Thanks for the info about Rivian Roamer. Something to think about it.

If you never listen to new music the streaming services have little value, IMO.

The one nice thing about Spotify is it will remember the last track you were listening to on any device. For example, if you were last using your phone to listen, that track will be on the display and ready to go from where you stopped listening on your phone.

I subscribe to C+ but not A+. I don't think the A+ features are worth the cost, but C+ definitely is. Since you have a phone with a data limit, you can use the Hotspot in the R2 and connect your phone to the internet provided by C+. Then you can stream all you want and not worry about it.

While my phone is also AT&T, I find the wifi provided by C+ has better performance than my phones internet. I suspect it is because the truck has a better antenna.

 

[Mos Eisley]

A few things Connect + gives you that you might want:


Rivian Assistant. Not standard, included with Connect+
Vehicle WiFi hotspot. Not standard, included with Connect+
Native Audio app streaming. Not standard, included with Connect+
Video app streaming. Not standard, included with Connect+
Remote camera livestreaming. Not standard, included with Connect+
Satellite map views. Not standard, included with Connect+
Google Maps photos and details. Not standard, included with Connect+
Priority software updates. Not standard, included with Connect+

 

[SHRED]

No USB for music storage play is simply ridiculous.

 

[vordo]

FWIW I was a bluetooth stick guy as well back in the day. audio (with the exception of early Meridian) is an afterthought for Rivian.

my preferred way of dealing with it is using plaxamp via my phone. have access to 40k+ tracks from my home server and can stream at the full bandwidth that bluetooth allows so it doesn’t sound terrible.

 

[R2dreamer]

My understanding is that Sirius XM is not available on R2. Is that correct? Does that require a satellite antenna?

 

[GromitATL]

I don't have my R2 yet (24 days, if all goes well), but I use my iPhone's hotspot and connect my Tesla to it via wifi for streaming music. I assume this would work for Rivian as well?

I have an automation that starts the phone's hotspot feature when it connects to my Tesla via Bluetooth. When my phone disconnects, another automation turns off the phone's hotspot to save battery.

I will say it's a bit quirky. I have to give the automation time to start because the Tesla won't switch to a wifi network if the car is in motion. Usually it works fine if I pull out of the garage, put the car in park, put my seatbelt on and then go. Here and there though, I put it in drive too soon and I can't stream.

It works, and I prefer it to paying $10 a month for Tesla's connectivity package. When my R2 gets here I am subscribing to Connect+ for the convenience though.

 

[Woo]

...
I was hoping to use my phone via Bluetooth to listen to my music collection. I have more than ~1200 songs on it. That leads me to an off-topic question, is there any benefit having a music streaming service? I don't listen to any new song that hits the market. I have my music collection on my and my wife's phone and other devices. So, I always have "Offline" access to all my songs.....

Depends. If on-screen browsing/controls are important to you, you may want to consider it. Bluetooth gets you some rudimentary controls but I find they are laggy more often than I'd like.

The big question is which audio system are you getting. I'm assuming it's Premium based on Rivian's model release plan and your receive date but maybe other trims will be available in October? I don't know but if you are getting premium, do yourself a favor and try Tidal for a month. Their Dolby Atmos mixes were far better than the same ones on Apple Music. I tested both in late 2024 so things may be different now with Apple but the difference was enough for me to cancel Apple Music and stick with Tidal.

Those are your only two options for Atmos in a Rivian. If spatial audio doesn't interest you then Bluetooth may be enough.

 

[BenderSC]

Now some of you recommend playing the music stored on my phone via Bluetooth as an option. Is this working in tandem with the Rivian infotainment system? Meaning are the songs (title, author, album image) displayed on the infotainment screen, and can I control it from there (next song etc.)?

 

[Tom(myBoy)]

Hey thanks. It's definitely for the data nerds but there are also a lot of features that are useful even on the free version. The one thing I always tell people is that you can't retroactively go back and track data. So even if you never use the site but just want to have your data available it's a good option.

"Well duh, you're trying to sell more". Of course but I also don't do any advertising and everyone gets 2 weeks to try it out, self cancel and get an automatic refund if it's not for you. Free tier will also always be available.

1/ where can I find more information on each of these services?

2/ how well do they work with & without connect+? Do any of them take advantage of having that subscription and how do they do so?

3/ if they overlap in any functionality at all, is there a good comparison available across all of them?

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