How to Listen to Internet Radio in the Car

Updated 18 September 2026

Some links below go to shops. As an Amazon Associate, 72FM earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you — and nothing here is recommended because it pays.

The easiest way to play internet radio in your car is to open 72FM in your phone's browser, start a station, and connect your phone to your car's audio system over Bluetooth or an aux cable. That works today, in any car, with no special integrations. For a longer drive, it's also the most versatile setup: full access to the directory, the country browser, and themed collections — all from the screen you already have in your hand.

This guide covers every method that actually works, what each one requires, and where dedicated integrations (CarPlay, Android Auto) would need separate verification.

Method 1: Bluetooth — the universal approach

If your car has Bluetooth audio (most cars made after 2012 do), this is the simplest and best-supported route. If it has an aux socket but no Bluetooth, a Bluetooth aux receiver adds it for about the price of a cable.

1. Pair your phone to your car's Bluetooth. Follow your car's pairing instructions the first time; after that, it connects automatically when you get in.
2. Open 72FM in your phone's browser — Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android. The site is fully web-based, so nothing to install.
3. Find a station. Search by name, browse by genre or country, or open a themed collection. Our road trip radio guide has starting suggestions if you need them.
4. Press play. Audio routes through your car's speakers. Controls for play/pause appear on your phone's lock screen and, depending on your car model, on the steering wheel or dash display.

You'll control everything from your phone, which means glancing at a screen — not ideal while moving. Set a station before you pull away, or use a passenger's phone as the control surface.

Method 2: Aux cable

If your car has a 3.5mm aux input and your phone still has a headphone jack (or you have an adapter), this is even simpler than Bluetooth: a physical cable carries the audio with no pairing needed and zero connection dropouts.

1. Connect your phone to the aux input with a cable — an aux cable, plus a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter if your phone has no headphone socket.
2. Set your car stereo to AUX source.
3. Open 72FM in your phone's browser, find a station, press play.

Aux-in delivers reliable audio at whatever bitrate the stream provides. There's no compression added by Bluetooth codecs — relevant if you care about audio quality. See what 320kbps sounds like in practice for more on bitrate and listening quality.

Method 3: FM transmitter

Older cars without Bluetooth or aux input can use an FM transmitter — a small device that plugs into the phone's audio output and broadcasts on a local FM frequency your car radio can pick up. Most FM transmitters sold today pair with the phone over Bluetooth and plug into the car's 12V socket.

Audio quality is lower than Bluetooth or aux, and you'll need to find a clear FM frequency in your area. But it means any car can play internet radio.

Method 4: CarPlay and Android Auto

CarPlay (Apple) and Android Auto (Google) project a phone interface onto your car's built-in touchscreen. They support compatible apps; audio apps in particular are well-served by both platforms.

72FM has no CarPlay or Android Auto app, so it will not appear in the vehicle display. Radio on Android Auto and CarPlay covers what does, and how to get any station through the car anyway.

If no native integration exists, the Bluetooth method above is the practical alternative — your phone's audio plays through the car speakers, and you control it from your phone screen before setting off or at stops.

Method 5: Mobile hotspot + a built-in car display

Some newer vehicles have integrated infotainment browsers or support apps directly on the built-in screen. If your car's display can open a browser tab, 72FM can run there as it would on any other browser.

Comparison: car listening methods

Data and connectivity on the road

Streaming radio uses your phone's mobile data when you're not on Wi-Fi. It's a light load — roughly 1–2MB per minute on a standard stream — but on a long drive it adds up. Worth noting:

• Download nothing before a trip; radio is live and can't be cached.
• If mobile data is limited, stick to lower-bitrate streams. Our internet radio data usage guide has the numbers.
• Data use depends on the station's bitrate, not your tier: a 320kbps stream uses around 2.4MB per minute, so pick lower-bitrate stations for long journeys on mobile data.

If you're crossing into another country, mobile data costs and coverage change. For cross-border driving, downloading a podcast for the dead zones and switching to internet radio where you have signal is a sensible backup.

Why internet radio beats AM/FM on a long drive

Traditional FM covers your current location. Internet radio covers everywhere at once: you can listen to a Tokyo jazz station through the Alps, an Irish folk station on a motorway in the Midlands, or a Brazilian bossa nova broadcast while stuck in a tunnel entrance. The radio map turns a long drive into something more interesting than the local chart show.

For longer drives, road trip radio tips and collections are worth a look before you set off.

In short

Bluetooth from your phone to your car audio system is the most practical way to play internet radio in the car today — it works in virtually any modern vehicle, requires nothing extra, and gives you access to everything on 72FM. Aux cable is marginally better for audio quality; FM transmitters cover older cars. CarPlay and Android Auto native integration would need separate verification.

Set a station before you pull away, plug in your phone, and let the listening start. The road trip radio guide is a good place to find stations worth driving to.