Rivian Customer Service: SiriusXM Radio will not be native part of the entertainment system

[Taco Corp]

I have the same issue, you don't have to get all that far off the beaten path to find areas where there isn't cell service or at least no service from AT&T. I'm in Seattle and only have to go as far as my driveway to have no connectivity in the R1T. Luckily my phone was still working but then it's right back to playing with a phone while driving to try and get music working.

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[DJG]

I have the same issue, you don't have to get all that far off the beaten path to find areas where there isn't cell service or at least no service from AT&T. I'm in Seattle and only have to go as far as my driveway to have no connectivity in the R1T. Luckily my phone was still working but then it's right back to playing with a phone while driving to try and get music working.

Perhaps it's because you lose connectivity soon after starting, but when I experienced losing service for 20 minutes, Spotify never stopped playing. My guess is that when you pull up a playlist, it just starts downloading everything and builds up a pretty large cache. The only reason I knew I didn't have service was because I was curious given the area I was in, and saw it in the upper right of the screen. Nothing changed with music streaming or the map/routing I was using.

 

[WalnutFarmer]

There is a buffer, but usually not more than 4-5 minutes. Also interesting when you get in the truck the next morning and hear the local radio station on Tune-In playing the buffer from the night before, then suddenly it goes live in the middle of a song or conversation.

 

[Plummer43]

This should work considering it is SiriusXM that connects via Bluetooth.

 

[Deleted member 7086]

Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately some months ago I reached out to CS and they said the infotainment unit can only communicate with one Bluetooth device at a time so you could use your phone or Bluetooth SiriusXM cradle but not both at the same time. Unless someone has a better idea we are stuck with the antiquated FM rebroadcast method which has lots of static unless you can install an FM direct adapter. So far I have received zero cooperation from Rivian in trying to do so.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Just took my "Adventure Vehicle" on an adventure, mostly no more than 10 miles from a major highway. Many places with limited or no cell phone service. Disappointing that my buddies 2014 Chevy with XM radio was my only source of music and talk radio during our trip. Ironic that an adventure vehicle wouldn't have services that work on an adventure...
4 days with intermittent music and unreliable service was less than ideal...

Next time roll down the windows and listen to the adventure.

 

[Deleted member 7086]

As a followup I purchased the Sirius/XM Bluetooth cradle and tried to pair the SXM receiver with the Rivian radio. Did not go well. The Rivian would not even recognize the SMX as a possible Bluetooth connection let alone pair with it. Had no problem with my iPhone recognizing the SMX and pairing with it. Looks like the only SMX alternatives for now are streaming from my iPhone or the FM rebroadcast method. Does make you wonder once the present “free” cell service terminates and there is then a monthly or annual fee what if any third party services will be compatible?

 

[Gully]

What about SiriusXM do you really like?

For music, I think it's a terrible experience. Quality is abysmal. On top of the low quality, you pay money and still get ads? Yuck.

For sports/talk it's a better experience. But you can stream most of that on a phone for a same-or-better experience -- unless your preferred "host" has an exclusive agreement.

I actually like the DJs and the new music choices the channels I listen to make.

 

[Craigins]

As a followup I purchased the Sirius/XM Bluetooth cradle and tried to pair the SXM receiver with the Rivian radio. Did not go well. The Rivian would not even recognize the SMX as a possible Bluetooth connection let alone pair with it. Had no problem with my iPhone recognizing the SMX and pairing with it. Looks like the only SMX alternatives for now are streaming from my iPhone or the FM rebroadcast method. Does make you wonder once the present “free” cell service terminates and there is then a monthly or annual fee what if any third party services will be compatible?

Which radio did you try from Sirius?

 

[Deleted member 7086]

It was an Onyx Plus. If you find something which works please share. I heard someplace that you can access the infotainment unit under the passenger dash by pulling up the carpet. I have no idea if this is accurate nor tried it. I also have no idea as to what type of adapter plug would be required to install an FM Direct adapter. Bluetooth would certainly be preferable if there was a way to do it other than with a phone app.

 

[COdogman]

Unfortunately I doubt there will be a simple way to do this until Rivian opens up the USB for use with the audio system. That is supposedly in the works, but who knows when it will be reality. Sirius hardware has always been limited/ crappy and Rivian’s odd decision to not have any wired connection to the system at all despite including a fancy Meridian sound system are puzzling to say the least.

 

[Deleted member 7086]

My suspicion is, since it is a Meridian infotainment unit, there is a AUX input port on the unit but the unit would need to be programmed to recognize anything plugged into it.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

I heard a rumor that the next iPhone Pro will have satellite connectivity. The rumor suggested it was for emergency calls, but perhaps it could pull XM?

 

[electruck]

I heard a rumor that the next iPhone Pro will have satellite connectivity. The rumor suggested it was for emergency calls, but perhaps it could pull XM?

even if the rumor were true, vastly different frequency bands would make this extremely unlikely. it would have to be intentionally designed with this support in mind.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

even if the rumor were true, vastly different frequency bands would make this extremely unlikely. it would have to be intentionally designed with this support in mind.

With Starlink out and functioning I could see Apple wanting to get ahead of the functionality. Perhaps they’ll buy or develop satellite connectivity that would deliver Apple Music like XM.

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