Younger listeners now use their phones more than the dashboard radio in the car. Edison Research’s latest Share of Ear data shows Americans ages 13–34 spend 46% of in-car audio time on a mobile device and 43% on a traditional AM/FM receiver, the first time phones have taken the lead in that age group.
The crossover did not happen overnight. In 2015, radio receivers held a 47-point advantage in the car among 13- to 34-year-olds, 66% to 19%. Radio’s share fell to 58% by 2018 and 46% by 2021 as mobile climbed to 38%. The lines crossed in 2025, when mobile edged ahead 44% to 43%, and the gap has widened slightly since.
The finding measures the device, not the content. Some of that phone time is still AM/FM — streamed through a station app, CarPlay, or Android Auto. That distinction matters: Edison recently found AM/FM still accounts for 70% of ad-supported in-car listening among the same 13–34 group, far ahead of podcasts and ad-supported streaming music. Radio content is not disappearing. The tuner is.
That is the strategic warning. If the industry treated “app-first” as a slogan instead of a product standard, it is now paying for the delay. The audience radio most needs to replace older listeners already treats the phone as the default audio remote, including behind the wheel.
There is still time to catch up. Radio has always won by showing up where listeners already are. Right now that place is a smartphone screen. A station that is easy to find, fast to launch, and clean to use on a phone can still ride with that audience. One that looks dated, buffers, or hides its stream behind extra taps will not.
Does your station have a sharp-looking app? If younger drivers are already choosing the phone over the receiver, that question is no longer optional.