I own a 2023 Lexus RX350h with a ML sound system. I also have an Amazon Music HD account. I had been listening to Amazon Music up until yesterday. Now I get a message that I need to subscribe. Does Amazon Music on the main screen require WiFi connect to operate? I can access Amazon Music through Android Auto but it just doesn't sound as good.

 

Were you listening to it through the car’s multimedia system? Have you had your car roughly 30 days so the cell data trial has ended? If yes to both, sounds like you have to have a cell data subscription for your car to use it.

 

That's what I was afraid of. I am also connected wirelessly with Android Auto. The sound quality is not the same. I tried to connect with USB but I could not hear any difference. Are my only options available is to play music with a USB stick, phone memory or sign up for wifi connect?

 

I am still waiting for my wife’s RX350 with ML to arrive at the dealership but I already bought a mini usb memory key and filled it up with all my music in FLAC format so it will be lossless. Most of that music I ripped off my own CDs using Exact Audio Copy. Even added the album art to them. That is an option for you.

Connecting the phone to USB isn’t going to give you higher quality than wireless CarPlay.

 

I received an email earlier this week. This is the first time I have seen an updated Connect Subscription plan cost. For streaming, you will have to add one of the plans below that includes streaming or add WIFI Connect. Not 100% sure about WIFI Connect though. Also, these plans make no sense if you already have the three year trial for Drive Connect and Remote Connect. I do like that they have combined Drive Connect and Remote Connect into one plan. I think the old plans were $16 for Drive Connect and $8 for Remote Connect.


INTRODUCING OUR NEW CONNECTED SERVICES PLANS

Thank you for choosing Lexus. We hope you are enjoying your vehicle.

With Lexus’s new Connected Services1 plans, it is now easier than ever to subscribe to the services and features you really want.

Whether you are a ‘Go Anywhere’ explorer, a ‘Music Lover’ or you simply must have it all with 'Premium', there’s a new Connected Services plan for you.

 

WiFi connect can also be used for streaming.

 

They have made this all very confusing for the typical non-tech person to figure out what to buy, natively for the car, or tethered to your phone. From a previous thread, it sounds like a cabled connection to the phone is the way to go, because if you Wifi carplay from the car to your phone, you lose your personal hotspot on it. If you run wired carplay, you don't.

I am totally confused by all these offerings and connection methods, they really have made a mess of it.

 

Honestly it has more to do with the limitations of the technology and not the way Lexus is implementing it.

 

Is "WIFI Connect", the same as "wireless carplay"?

 

I called my local Lexus dealership yesterday and asked why I couldn't access Amazon Music from the multimedia center. I asked if I needed wifi connect to access Amazon Music. He said no and told me to bring in my RX. So I went there and he re-linked my Amazon account but still no luck. I went home and decided to try and connect with my home wifi. It works at home. Looks like Amazon Music through the multimedia system does require WiFi. Now that I have it, I will to compare to Amazon Music through AA.

 

I have Sirius XM and it sounds better through the multimedia syst. on the car vs when I stream it from my phone with carplay.

 

I just did a test. I connected to my home wifi and Amazon Music from the Multimedia system works. So it looks like you need wifi connect to stream. I did another test where I compared the sound quality between the multimedia system and AA. I listened to Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon album and they both sounded the same to me. I think I will skip the wifi connect subscription and listen to AA unless anyone can give me a good reason why I should subscribe to wifi.

 

No I agree if it sounds the same use AA, I think my XM radio sounds better with the multimedia because it gets better reception from the shark fin on top of car vs my cell phone.

 

More likely the digital cell signal music is compressed different than the satellite signal. Both are digital so you either receive the signal or not.

 

Yeh, I think I sometimes I get into a dead zone and the cell signal drops out momentarily.