New Volvo and Polestar models gain in-car YouTube app

Owners of certain Volvo and Polestar cars can now watch YouTube videos while parked in their driveways or waiting to charge their electric vehicle’s batteries, after a software update was rolled out across the sibling brand’s model ranges earlier this month.

Available on models equipped with an Android Automotive infotainment system – such as the Polestar 2 and Model Year 2023-onwards Volvos – the in-built YouTube application the video-sharing platform is displayed on the car’s central touchscreen, provided the vehicle is parked and connected to the internet.

Volvo and Polestar vehicles with access to the feature must be connected to WiFi or a smartphone with mobile data (via Bluetooth) for the application to work, while the vehicle must also be stopped and in its ‘Park’ gear. 

This means owners of Volvo and Polestar electric cars can browse the video-sharing service while charging their vehicles, while those with petrol and diesel models can watch videos in car parks and their own driveways.

Both Android Automotive – not to be confused with Android Auto smartphone mirroring – and the YouTube app are developed by tech giant Google, which has supplied infotainment systems to Volvo since 2019.

Volvo and Polestar are not the first automotive brands to roll-out YouTube in their cars, after Tesla introduced the feature to its electric cars in late-2019, alongside the addition of streaming platform Netflix.

While neither Apple CarPlay or Android Auto allow users to cast YouTube to a vehicle’s infotainment screen by default, smartphones running the respective operating systems can be ‘jailbroken’ to offer the feature.

However, watching a video while driving is illegal in every Australian jurisdiction, regardless of whether it is being shown on a central infotainment screen or by a passenger.

The over-the-air software update also included a new feature for Apple CarPlay users, now displaying Apple Maps navigation and incoming call information on the digital driver display when the smartphone mirroring function is in use.

In the Polestar 2, the electric vehicle’s ‘Range Assistant’ app can now give drivers feedback on their energy consumption across the most recent 20km, 40km or 100km of their journeys, as well as providing feedback on how to drive more efficiently.