‘I Can’t Play Music Unless I Upgrade’: Woman Gets In Her Tesla. Then She Gets An Unexpected Notification On Her Screen

A new member of the Tesla owner’s club gets a rude awakening one day on her way to work. All of a sudden, she can’t figure out how to stream music. Here’s what happened.

TikTok creator Alison Johnson (@fitnesswithalison) is a fitness instructor who recently purchased a Tesla. 

“So I recently joined the Tesla family,” she says to start the video, which she posted over the weekend. “I’m getting in my car this morning and I’m like, ‘OK, I’m gonna play some jams.’ It says ‘premium connectivity required.’”

That leads Johnson to believe she needs to subscribe to $10 service to continue her music streaming habits. She also notes that she can’t access her GPS system either. “I can’t play music if I [dont’t] upgrade $10 per month,” she says. “Where’s the auxiliary plug thing? Can I just plug my phone in? I’m on my way to get a premium coffee and that’s $10.”

In the end, Johnson says she is going to forgo the subscription service for now. “OK, no worries,” she says. “I’m gonna give myself my own concert. $10 here. $10 there. It adds up, buttercup. I’ll just sing my way to work.”

Tesla’s Monthly Premium Connectivity Subscription

Johnson shows viewers the menu on her display that shows the “Monthly Premium Connectivity Subscription,” which does indeed cost $9.99 per month before taxes. The service allows the Tesla owner to stream music and videos in the car, access maps, use the karaoke feature, and surf the internet.

However, it’s important to note that Tesla owners can choose “Standard Connectivity,” which does allow them to use a basic version of the maps navigation system and Bluetooth streaming. So Johnson does not need to resort to performing her own concert on the commute to work regularly.

Most Tesla vehicles are delivered with a “Premium Connectivity” trial, which explains why Johnson’s service ended. She’ll likely have to figure out the Bluetooth settings in the vehicle and she’ll be good to go from there.

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Is ‘Premium Connectivity’ Worth the Cost?

Several Reddit users commenting in this thread posted to r/TeslaModel3 last year said that it’s a great value for the price. “Honestly one of the best deals in the industry,” wrote one person. “Most other connected service plans are 2-3x more expensive and don’t offer as much.”

Others said they’re fine living without it. “You can still connect via Bluetooth and use steering wheel controls to skip songs,” another person wrote. “You do need to start the music with your phone, though. Not a big deal to me. Factory GPS works just fine without connection.”

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In terms of comparison shopping, Toyota’s “Music Lover” integration, which allows unlimited integrated streaming in the vehicle, is $15 per month, and its “Go Anywhere” GPS system is another $15 per month. You can bundle the two services for $25 per month and add “Wi-Fi Connect” for another $25 per month. 

InsideEVs contacted Johnson via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted Tesla via email for comment. 

 

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