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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:

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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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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DOJ lawsuit misunderstands CarPlay, claiming it too is anticompetitive

DOJ lawsuit misunderstands CarPlay | Extended instrument cluster feature shown

The DOJ lawsuit is 88 pages long, and I freely confess I haven’t yet finished reading it, but it seems one tech writer has – finding a claim that CarPlay is anticompetitive.

As the piece notes, it seems clear that the Department of Justice doesn’t actually understand what CarPlay is, or how it works, as the claim simply makes no sense …

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Before CarPlay, Apple previewed ‘iOS in the Car’ with a very different design

Pre CarPlay iOS in the Car

CarPlay has graduated from a niche upgrade option to a mainstream standard feature in new cars, replacing clunky radio user interfaces with a design very familiar for iPhone users. But before Apple set CarPlay loose in the wild, the world was shown a very different design for Apple’s infotainment feature under a different name.

Sunday marks 10 years since Apple publicly rebranded “iOS in the Car” as CarPlay. Here’s a look back:

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Honda launches wireless CarPlay retrofit option for select 2018-2022 cars

Earlier this month, Honda announced its preliminary plans to offer a CarPlay retrofit to Honda Accord drivers. The company has now shared more details on this plan, revealing that the software update will start at $112 and be available at any authorized Honda dealer.

Honda explains that this software update will enable wireless CarPlay and Android Auto on approximately 631,000 Accord models from the 2018-2022 model years.

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SoundCloud available on CarPlay, but only with a paid subscription for now

Apple Musical Classical teased the world with an accidental CarPlay app this week, but SoundCloud has the real deal. At least for paid members of SoundCloud’s subscription service.

SoundCloud apparently isn’t just a place for uploading your mixtape. Still, if you land a viral tweet and need something to promote, SoundCloud is the go-to choice (unless you don’t have one).

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Polestar CEO commits to continued CarPlay support: ‘Important for our customers to have the choice’

While Polestar has taken a lot of steps to deepen its relationship with Google for in-car infotainment, the company says it’s still committed to CarPlay as well. In an interview at CES 2024 this week, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath explained that it doesn’t make sense for the company to limit customers and remove the option of CarPlay.

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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 in June 2022, Apple announced what it calls the “next generation of CarPlay.” This new CarPlay interface is set to debut in new cars this year, and it’s going to be a big change.

The first automakers signed on to support next-gen CarPlay? Porsche and Aston Martin. Here’s everything we know.

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GM’s CarPlay replacement software is off to a disastrous start

I don’t need to remind you that GM is ditching CarPlay starting with its 2024 model year EVs. We’ve covered that news extensively over the past year, routinely pointing out that it may not be a very wise decision.

Some of the early real-world reviews of the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV have emerged, and it certainly doesn’t sound like GM’s “Ultifi” infotainment software is ready for prime time.

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First cars with next-generation CarPlay officially announced

Apple has officially made good on its long-standing promise. The first cars with support for next-generation CarPlay have (sort of) been announced. As reported by Cool Hunting and Car and Driver, Porsche and Aston Martin will be the first automakers to support next-generation CarPlay starting in 2024.

Notably, Aston Martin wasn’t on Apple’s original list of automakers that would support next-generation CarPlay.

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GM’s latest excuse for dropping CarPlay is its dumbest yet

Update: In a statement to MotorTrend, GM clarified its position:

“We wanted to reach out to clarify that comments about GM’s position on phone projection were misrepresented and to reinforce our valued partnerships with Apple and Google and each company’s commitment to driver safety. GM’s embedded infotainment strategy is driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with the larger GM ecosystem and vehicles.”


GM continues to shoot itself in the foot and double down on its decision to ditch CarPlay. In a new interview this week, Tim Babbitt, GM’s head of product for infotainment, attempted to offer some “justification” for the controversial decision.

According to Babbitt, drivers will be “less likely to pick up their phones” if their cars don’t have CarPlay. Yes, you read that right.

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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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