[StevePerkins]

As others have already explained, the autoplay is because the car sends a "play" command as soon as the bluetooth connects.

From the auto manufacturer's perspective, this kinda "makes sense". Because that was the legacy behavior, pre-bluetooth. If you turn off your car with the radio playing, then the radio will start playing again the next time you crank up the car. If drivers didn't want that, then hey... they would have turned off the stereo before turning off their car. So it would be less confusing to carry forward that legacy behavior into this new thing.

The problem is, it's 10 years later now. The culture and the consumer expectations have shifted. Maybe (?) the radio-like behavior makes sense for older consumers in their 60's and up, who lived with radio for many years more than they've lived with bluetooth. But for the younger bluetooth-native consumers, it's generally pretty infuriating.

It's LONG past time for auto makers to stop this legacy behavior with bluetooth connections. Or at the very least, offer the option to disable it somewhere in a dashboard menu.

[rightbyte]

> If drivers didn't want that, then hey... they would have turned off the stereo before turning off their car.

There was a time of honey and milk where we could visualy inspect the power/volume nob before ignition and see if the radio was on or off. Maybe even turn the nob with a reassuring little feedback click.

[sportslife]

I think the design is actually for us under 60, who got into the car listening to a podcast on earbuds, and want to continue listening as we drive off.

What I can't get over is that I can be driving the car for 3 minutes before the podcast I was just listening to will play in my car (which does not have this play command quirk).