With few exceptions, the navigation and entertainment software runs on the dashboard touchscreens for modern cars horrible. Dated interface design, confusing layouts, and rarely if ever updated software and data.
Fortunately, Apple has a solution for that: CarPlay. It’s a feature built into your iPhone that turns it into the brain and interface for your car’s infotainment screen, and it’s a huge step up from what you get in most cars.
Originally launched in 2014, CarPlay is now supported on a wide variety of vehicles, with a next-generation version even on the way. Here’s what you need to know about CarPlay, the supported devices and vehicles, and supported apps.
How does CarPlay work?
Using CarPlay on a supported car is easy. Simply use your Lightning cable to connect your iPhone to the car’s USB port and select the CarPlay function on your car’s screen. The exact method of selecting CarPlay varies from car to car, but is usually pretty obvious.
A small but growing number of cars even have wireless CarPlay, which lets you pair your phone and use CarPlay without having to plug in a cable.
Once CarPlay is launched in your car, the interface on your infotainment system is controlled by your iPhone – the car is essentially a secondary iPhone screen. The interface will feel familiar to iPhone users, but it’s been drastically simplified, with large icons and touch targets, and very limited options. After all, it’s meant to be used while driving, so everything is big, simple, and requires very few taps.
CarPlay got a major interface update in iOS 13, but only minor changes since then.
CarPlay gives you access to select messaging apps, audio apps, and navigation apps. It can read text messages aloud and transcribe your voice into text replies, which is a lot safer than texting while driving.
The latest CarPlay interface also suggests things for you based on the time, day and your location, such as playlists or podcasts you listen to often, or directions to places you usually drive.
Which iPhones support CarPlay?
CarPlay works on any phone from the iPhone 5.
- iPhone 14/14 Pro
- iPhone 13/13 Pro
- iPhone 12/12 Pro
- iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation)
- iPhone 11/11 Pro
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8/8plus
- iPhone 7/7Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 6s/6s Plus
- iPhone 6/6Plus
- iPhone 5s
- iPhone 5
CarPlay was introduced in iOS 7.1 and has seen some major upgrades over the years. The iOS 13 update was the most recent: it completely overhauled the CarPlay interface and made it possible for more apps to work with the system, such as Waze and Google Maps. Since the major iOS 13 change, each version of iOS has added minor tweaks and new features to CarPlay, but it’s mostly the same.
A major new next-generation version of CarPlay is coming, with supporting car models to be announced in late 2023.
Which vehicles support CarPlay?
It used to be easy to list all the cars that support CarPlay because there were so few of them. Its popularity has exploded in recent years and it is now available in hundreds of car models, from Fords to Ferraris.
One of the last major holdouts was Toyota, but the company began including CarPlay in many 2019 models, and it’s available in many 2020 and later Toyota models.
Notably absent from the list is Tesla – the company manages the “full stack” for its software and does not support any secondary interfaces. You can connect your iPhone to your Tesla via Bluetooth and listen to music and sync your contacts and calendar, but you don’t get a phone-based interface on the screen.
There are too many CarPlay-enabled car models to list them all here, but Apple maintains a list of CarPlay-compatible car models for you to check.
Recently, GM, once a big supporter of CarPlay, announced that it would be phasing out support for the feature (and Android Auto) on future electric vehicles. GM will use its own in-house navigation and infotainment system co-developed with Google.
Which aftermarket systems support CarPlay?
If you have an older car that doesn’t already have CarPlay, you may be able to add it with an aftermarket infotainment system. Kenwood, Alpine, Sony, Pioneer and JVC are among the brands that offer CarPlay compatible stereo receivers.
Aftermarket system can add CarPlay (even wirelessly!) to your existing car.
How much does CarPlay cost?
CarPlay itself costs you nothing. When you use it to navigate, send messages, or listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, you may be using data from your phone’s data plan. Depending on your mobile data limits, this could end up costing you dearly.
Whether it costs money to get CarPlay support in your car is up to the manufacturer. While Apple does not charge automakers for the necessary software to integrate CarPlay, there are some costs associated with meeting the necessary hardware requirements.
It comes standard with some car makes and models and is included in the price of the car. Other models only support it as part of a premium upgraded infotainment system package, which often costs hundreds more but usually includes other features. Before you buy a car, you want to ask if CarPlay support is included.
Which apps work with CarPlay?
CarPlay is primarily built around core Apple apps like Maps, Music, Messages, and Calendar. But with iOS 13, Apple expanded the ability for manufacturers to link to the system, and you can now use many third-party navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps, audio apps like Audible, Spotify, Pandora, and even messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
You don’t need to install anything special to use third-party apps; If you have a compatible app on your iPhone, you will see the app icon on the CarPlay display.
To reorder your CarPlay apps, open Institutions on your iPhone, then select GeneralThan CarPlay. Press name of your car connection under My cars and then To adjust. You can then reorder or remove apps from the CarPlay interface.
How does Siri work with CarPlay?
You can use Siri to control CarPlay, using many of the same commands you use with your iPhone. You can ask for directions, start turn-by-turn navigation, play music or a podcast, or dictate a text message to someone.
If your car has a voice command button on the steering wheel, hold it down for a second or two and you’ll see the Siri prompt on the screen.
If your car does not have a voice button on the steering wheel, press and hold the CarPlay dashboard or home button. After a few seconds, the Siri prompt appears and you can give a voice command.
Siri is more than just voice commands: it’s Apple’s name for all sorts of intelligent assistant features, like Smart Suggestions. Siri will offer locations for upcoming calendar events to continue playing the podcast you were playing earlier, as well as provide directions for locations you frequently travel to on those days and times, among other things.
What about the next generation of CarPlay?
When Apple introduced iOS 16 at WWDC in 2022, it also introduced a new next-generation CarPlay. Apple says: “This new version of CarPlay is specific to each vehicle and accommodates unique screen shapes and layouts. New levels of personalization allow drivers to choose the design of their instrument panel, including brand-specific options.”
This new CarPlay will be more closely integrated with the car itself. It will be able to display the car’s core information (such as speed, gears, range, battery charge status, and more) and control integral car systems, such as the HVAC, defrost, and so on. While Apple hasn’t given many details yet, it appears it should be built into the car itself and not controlled by the user’s iPhone, although we imagine it would sync certain preferences.
Apple
The first car models supporting this next-gen CarPlay are expected to be announced in late 2023. Keep in mind that this appears to be something you’ll need to buy specific future car models to get, not a new experience powered by your iPhone in existing CarPlay-enabled cars. And if they are not announced until the end of 2023, the first cars will not be available until 2024 in any case.
