Summary 
The tech giants invite themselves into our cars and Apple is no exception to the rule with CarPlay, an operating system that acts as an extension of an iPhone in your vehicle. But what can you really do with Apple CarPlay? How should you configure your iPhone with your car? We will take stock of this case.
Apple CarPlay, you may have already heard of it if you are considering buying a new car, or at least new enough to be compatible with this operating system. Today, many of the in-car infotainment systems may seem outdated compared to what we find on our phones. GPS with imprecise mapping, dated graphics, complicated ergonomics… There is no shortage of unflattering qualifiers to describe on-board infotainment systems, even if some are doing better than others.
While some manufacturers have finally understood the importance of offering a clear and limpid infotainment system to their customers, most are partnering with tech giants and entrusting them directly with the development of these technologies. This is for example the case of Volvo which, for its new models, offers an operating system designed with Google: Android Automotive, a system that does not require any connection with a smartphone. If this type of technology does not yet exist with Apple, it cannot be excluded that it will happen one day.
At the moment, iPhone users are making even more use of Apple CarPlay within their car, so we'll go over what Apple CarPlay is and what you can do with it.
What is Apple CarPlay for?
Apple CarPlay is a version of Apple's iOS mobile operating system designed to integrate into car dashboards. It allows smartphones and tablets running the iOS system to interact directly with the vehicle's infotainment system equipped with a touch screen (or even a screen at all), in order to deport the controls of your iPhone to the dashboard.
For the record, this system was presented at the WWDC (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) in June 2013: Apple changed the name of iOS in the Car at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 3, 2014, for CarPlay. This is also the opportunity for the company to announce the porting of CarPlay on certain models of major brands. Today, almost all new cars are compatible with Apple CarPlay.
iOS in the Car when first integrated in 2014.
This allows you to take advantage of your iPhone's applications dedicated to driving, such as GPS navigation on Waze or Google Maps for example, directly from the screen of your car. You can also read several multimedia contents, your SMS, make calls, and even search the Internet. Like the iOS system, functions can be added by applications, and the manufacturers themselves sometimes offer their own applications within the Apple interface.
What advantages with Apple CarPlay?
As for Android Auto, the main advantage of Apple CarPlay is to have an interface similar to that of its iPhone. This allows us to find an ergonomics that is familiar to us, far from certain catastrophic embedded systems. With Apple CarPlay, you can have access to several essential applications in the car, including Waze of course, the on-board navigation system based on the principle of participatory production.
To go further“I am often referred to as Waze as a person”: how the app is guided by its community
The benefits of using Apple CarPlay aren't just limited to navigation. To respond to an SMS or a message received on WhatsApp without taking your iPhone in hand, it is also practical, since it is possible to have the message dictated and to respond to it using Siri. Always thanks to Siri, or with your fingertips, it is also possible to listen to your favorite playlist, or even, via Apple's Maps app, ask Siri to send your estimated time of arrival to the people you want to keep informed.
Which cars are compatible with Apple CarPlay?
In general, except for some specific models, when a car is compatible with Android Auto, it is also compatible with Apple CarPlay. Today there are more than 600 models compatible with Apple CarPlay, 600 models that we are obviously not going to list here. But the Apple CarPlay official website can test your car's compatibility with Apple's in-car operating system. Some accessory systems (Pioneer, Sony, JVC, etc.) may also be compatible with CarPlay.
How to configure Apple CarPlay in your car?
Do you own one of the 600 models compatible with Apple CarPlay and do you have a relatively recent iPhone? It's time to move on to configuration. For once, nothing could be simpler, just make sure that Siri is activated. Then there are ways to connect:How to activate Siri on Apple CarPlay?
Again, this will depend on your car. If it has voice control directly integrated, all you have to do is press and hold the voice control button on the steering wheel. All you have to do is ask your question to Siri. If there is no voice control directly integrated, you will have to press and hold the CarPlay dashboard or the CarPlay home button on your touchscreen to activate Siri.
Siri can also give you suggestions in CarPlay, so it can let you know what you can do now, like getting to your next meeting. Also, if you have HomeKit-enabled accessories, like a garage door opener, you can ask Siri to open the garage door when you approach your home.
Which iPhones are Apple CarPlay compatible?
All iPhones are compatible with Apple CarPlay from iPhone 5.
What apps are compatible with Apple CarPlay?
As with Android Auto, many applications are available with Apple CarPlay. Obviously, when you're in the car, some are more useful than others, and we have grouped together the most useful applications by category.
The main navigation applications:
The main messaging applications:
The main music apps:
The main audiobook applications:
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