Jaguar / Land Rover car app bitrate information and control? (It seems too low )

[Ovy]

Hi guys,

I use Spotify extensively in my car, a Jaguar I-Pace 2019, through the Online Media app. It's supremely convenient to not have to tinker with the phone, but I do think the quality is lower than the Android app connected through Android Auto or even Bluetooth.

The bitrate sounds low to my ears; I've made attempts to measure it via the data counter but it's not very precise -- I'd say 64 kbps in my rough measurements, maybe 96 at most. I have a large car data plan that will never get exhausted in a month, since it's cheap and it helps us save on GoogleFi data for both of our phones, so I'd love to take better advantage of that and the Jag's sweet Meridian sound to make Spotify sound better.

There are no quality controls in the car app. I've tried adjusting my mobile settings (right now Very High on Wifi, High on Cell) but it doesn't seem to make any difference at all to the car app. The mobile app through Android Auto does sound excellent but I prefer the convenience of the car interface.

Can anyone tell me what the bitrate is and what I can do to increase it?  I don't quite know how it works under the covers, but I'm guessing it pulls some Web or API stream. I think that stream quality should be controllable to at least 160 kbps if not the full 320.

Thanks!  I'm definitely a fan otherwise.

Ovy