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CarPlay

A smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car

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CarPlay is an iOS feature that makes using your iPhone simpler and easier while in the car.

Here’s how Apple describes CarPlay:

Available on select cars, CarPlay is a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car. CarPlay takes the things you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them right on your car’s built-in display. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and listen to music, all in a way that allows you to stay focused on the road. Just connect your iPhone and go.

Porsche CarPlay

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Other CarPlay resources:

How to find cars with CarPlay:

Sony Electronics - XAV-AX100

Best aftermarket CarPlay options:

I upgraded my Honda Civic head unit to a 9-inch wireless CarPlay display for under $500

The stock head unit with wired CarPlay in my 2017 Honda Civic EX recently gave up the ghost. The most affordable solution was a greatly upgraded aftermarket head unit from a brand called JOYING. It’s a 9-inch display with wireless CarPlay, a volume knob, and a design made for 10th-gen Honda Civics. It retails well below $500 and is worth every penny.

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Best Apple CarPlay retrofit options for your car

Apple CarPlay is the safest way to interact with your iPhone in the car. You never need to touch your iPhone while driving – something you should never ever do anyway. Instead, you control navigation, communication, and entertainment with voice control and a simplified interface on your car’s screen.

What if your car doesn’t have a built-in display? What if it has one that doesn’t work with Apple CarPlay? The good news is you don’t have to go out and buy a brand new car. In most cases, you can have a really good in-dash system installed for anywhere from $200 to $1,000. Picking the right solution before you make the investment is important.

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After General Motors ditches CarPlay, it taps Apple for UI talent

General Motors ditches CarPlay and taps Apple UI talent | 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV

General Motors announced back in March that it was ditching CarPlay from future vehicles, in favor of its own infotainment systems.

The company originally partnered with Google on this, but now seems to have decided it needs an Apple touch – by hiring one of the Cupertino company’s former design directors to work on the user interface (UI), along with three more former Apple employees …

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Apple still says the first cars with next-gen CarPlay will be unveiled this year

next generation new carplay

You might have forgotten about it, but Apple unveiled what it described as the “next-generation” of CarPlay way back at WWDC 2022. Since that initial announcement, however, Apple hasn’t said a word about next-gen CarPlay, nor have any of its automaker partners.

Despite the silence, Apple still seems adamant that the first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay will be announced this year…

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Apple wins approval to use ultra-fast 6GHz band for Vision Pro, CarPlay, and more

Apple Vision Upgrade Program | A flurry of Vision Pro headsets

The FCC in the US has officially given Apple, Meta, and Google the go-ahead to tap into the 6GHz band for wireless devices. This comes four years after the companies teamed up to petition the FCC for access to this spectrum, with one of the biggest use cases being for augmented reality and virtual reality devices.

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This CarPlay GPS bug makes Apple Maps unusable and dangerous

On last week’s episode of 9to5Mac Happy Hour, I complained about an ongoing CarPlay problem I’ve been experiencing on and off for nearly a year. Essentially, the GPS continually bugs out and completely breaks navigation via Apple Maps, Google Maps, or any other navigation app.

Since last week’s Happy Hour episode was released (listen here), I’ve heard from a lot of CarPlay users who are facing similar problems with GPS performance.

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Hands-on: CarPlay in iOS 17 adds SharePlay for Apple Music listening parties, even for long-distance friends

One of the big changes in iOS 17 for CarPlay users is the addition of SharePlay support for Apple Music. This feature allows anyone in the car to control and contribute to what’s playing via Apple Music, rather than just one person.

I took SharePlay for Apple Music in iOS 17 for a recent drive. My takeaway? This is going to be a very, very fun feature.

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Porsche explains why it’s going all-in on CarPlay, unlike GM and others

I’ve written a lot about GM’s shortsighted decision to abandon CarPlay in all of its EVs next year. On the flip side, however, Porsche has been expanding its focus on CarPlay, most recently with its My Porsche app for CarPlay adding climate controls and other in-car features.

In a new interview with ArsTechnica, Cyril Dorsaz, Porsche Digital’s principal product manager, offered more details on why the company believes CarPlay is the way of the future.

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Project that brings CarPlay to Tesla gets a major boost with improved performance, hardware bundle

While Tesla itself has refused to adopt CarPlay over the years, there’s a thriving community of Tesla owners that have taken matters into their own hands. One of the leading projects here is called Tesla Android, an open-source operating system that brings CarPlay and a slew of other features to Tesla cars.

We last wrote about Tesla Android in June 2022, and the project has come a long way since then.

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These are the best CarPlay apps for iPhone


CarPlay is Apple’s feature that brings communication and entertainment functions to the built-in screen in your car using iPhone apps. The feature appears on a lot of aftermarket displays and new cars that you can buy today.

As CarPlay support is now available from most manufacturers, we’re also seeing more CarPlay apps. Once you install these apps on your iPhone, they appear on your CarPlay-enabled display when you connect your iPhone. Read on for the growing list of iPhone apps that support CarPlay.

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Hands-on: In a world of CarPlay uncertainty, Polestar 2’s dual-screen interface shines

There are a lot of questions floating around right now about the future of CarPlay. Apple unveiled a completely new CarPlay experience at WWDC 2022 but hasn’t given us a single update since then. GM, meanwhile, recently announced its decision to drop CarPlay support in all of its future EVs.

With that said, there are still bright spots in the CarPlay ecosystem, and I recently had the chance to spend some time with one of them: The Polestar 2’s implementation of dual-screen CarPlay. This isn’t “next-generation” CarPlay, but it’s the closest thing to it right now.

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GM wasn’t kidding, even the $130k Escalade IQ won’t have CarPlay

Cadillac Escalade IQ no CarPlay

Earlier this year, GM announced that it would be ditching CarPlay and Android Auto for all of its future EVs starting in 2024 in favor of a proprietary system. Now the all-new Cadillac Escalade IQ EV has been unveiled with a massive 55-inch LED display that could offer an amazing CarPlay experience. So will the company’s popular luxury SUV turned EV get an exception? GM says nope.

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The ‘next-generation’ of CarPlay is launching this year; here’s everything we know

next generation new carplay

Since its initial introduction, Apple’s CarPlay platform has become ubiquitous. It’s available in the vast majority of new cars on the market today, and for good reason: it’s one of the top things people look for when buying a new car.

At WWDC last June, Apple announced what it calls the “next generation of CarPlay.” This new CarPlay interface is set to debut in new cars as soon as later this year, and it’s going to be a big change.

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Hands-on with Porsche’s new CarPlay app – the best big auto UX we’ve seen

Porsche has released an update to its My Porsche app, allowing greater control of vehicle functions from within CarPlay – including wireless CarPlay support.

We got a chance to test out some of its features on a 2024 Cayenne, and it’s the first time we’ve felt an Apple-like experience from software made by a traditional automaker.

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