For the overwhelming majority of individuals, CarPlay is a must have. Apple’s in-car expertise gives a vastly superior infotainment expertise than most choices from carmakers. There’s fast entry to your favourite apps, integration with Siri, seamless connectivity, and extra.
Listed below are a few of my favourite suggestions and tips for ensuring you’re getting probably the most out of your CarPlay expertise…
Customise your CarPlay apps and Residence Display
Loads of your favourite apps are in all probability obtainable on CarPlay, however that doesn’t imply you need all of them in your CarPlay Residence Display. Fortunately, it’s simple to regulate these choices.
- Open the Settings app in your iPhone
- Faucet “Common”
- Faucet “CarPlay”
- Faucet your automobile’s identify and select “Customise”
Right here, you’ll see a full record of all of the CarPlay apps in your telephone. You possibly can merely faucet on the crimson minus signal to cover apps from showing on CarPlay.
You too can rearrange your CarPlay Residence Display whereas on this web page of the Settings app. Merely drag the apps into your required order utilizing the three strains on the fitting aspect of the app icons.
CarPlay wallpapers
When you can’t use any picture as your CarPlay wallpaper, Apple does provide a choice of pre-installed choices.
- Open the Settings app on CarPlay itself
- Choose “Wallpaper”
- Select your required wallpaper and faucet “Set”
Apple provides new wallpaper choices to CarPlay every so often, however there’s nonetheless solely a restricted variety of decisions obtainable.
Wi-fi or wired?
CarPlay works each wired and wirelessly, relying in your automobile’s make and mannequin. Wired CarPlay usually gives a sooner and extra dependable expertise. Whereas utilizing wi-fi CarPlay, you may expertise some latency when doing issues like altering songs and accessing Siri.
Right here’s my technique:
- I exploit wi-fi CarPlay for fast journeys round city after I’m getting out and in of the automobile a number of instances of the automobile as I run errands.
- I exploit wired CarPlay for longer highway journeys the place I’m within the automobile for prolonged durations of time.
Once more, your mileage could range relying in your automobile. There are, nonetheless, methods to deliver wi-fi CarPlay to any automobile. My private suggestion is the CarlinKit 5.0 adapter, which converts your automobile’s wired CarPlay implementation to a wi-fi expertise for below $60.
Darkish mode
CarPlay is accessible in gentle mode and darkish mode interfaces. Within the Settings app through CarPlay, you may select between three choices:
- Mild
- Darkish
- Computerized
I exploit the automated setting, which switches between gentle and darkish modes based mostly on time of day and different exterior lighting elements.
Driving Focus mode
Probably the most necessary advantages of CarPlay is that it enhances in-car security by discouraging you from selecting up your telephone. First, there’s the Driving Focus mode. This blocks incoming notifications, messages, and calls so your focus stays on the highway.
You possibly can customise the Driving Focus mode through the Settings app in your iPhone. You possibly can select to permit notifications from particular contacts and allow an automated reply characteristic that tells individuals who textual content you that you simply’re driving. You too can select to allow Driving Focus when linked to CarPlay robotically.
Announce Messages
Announce Messages is a well-liked iPhone characteristic that works with Siri to learn your messages aloud. Then, you may select to answer to that message utilizing your voice. The characteristic works with Apple’s Messages app in addition to third-party apps like WhatsApp.
- Go to Settings > Siri & Search > Announce Notifications in your iPhone
- Activate Announce Notifications and choose supported apps
- In CarPlay, be sure that Announce Messages with Siri is enabled within the CarPlay Settings app
SharePlay
In case you’re like me, you favor to have management of the music when you’re driving. Nonetheless, if need different folks in your automobile to have the ability to contribute songs to the queue, CarPlay has you lined.
You’ll see a SharePlay icon within the upper-right nook on the Apple Music Now Taking part in display screen. By tapping on this icon, you’ll be prompted to generate a QR code that others can scan. As soon as they scan this QR code, a pop-up will seem, informing you that somebody is enthusiastic about becoming a member of your SharePlay session.
As soon as that particular person joins, the opposite folks can contribute songs to the queue, see what’s at the moment enjoying, and rearrange the queue – even when they don’t have Apple Music.
CarPlay is getting higher with iOS 26
iOS 26 is about to be launched to everybody in September. The replace will deliver main new options to CarPlay, together with widgets, new icon tinting choices, and extra. We’ll replace this information when iOS 26 is accessible to everybody.
Wrap up
Are you a CarPlay person? In that case, what are a few of your favourite suggestions and tips? Tell us down within the feedback.
The elephant within the room, after all, is Apple’s highly-anticipated next-generation CarPlay platform. Sadly, there are only a few particulars obtainable on when that may truly materialize.
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