The popular Pandora music service was a notable omission from the list of services that are supported in Apple’s recently announced CarPlay feature for its iPhone.
In a statement to MacRumors, Pandora said that although its service was not integrated into CarPlay, Apple “continues to be a valued partner.” The company also suggests that it is continuing to explore opportunities to expand its presence within the car, hinting that it could be working towards integration with CarPlay in the future.
“At this time, Pandora is not integrated with Apple CarPlay. As a first mover in the auto space, we continue to broaden our relationships with OEMs while also exploring other opportunities to expand our presence in the car. Apple has been and continues to be a valued partner.”
While it is unknown at this time why Apple excluded Pandora from CarPlay, while including competing services such as Beats Music and Spotify, one possibility could be the similarities between Pandora and Apple’s own iTunes Radio. The two services are direct competitors, matching one another feature for feature.
While Pandora and iTunes Radio match each other in functionality, the services included in CarPlay work differently. Spotify and Beats Music allow users to search for specific songs, while iHeartRadio works more like traditional radio stations.
CarPlay allows users with compatible cars to utilize voice and touch commands, and access apps such as Maps, and allow making and receiving phone calls and messages.
