Apple Carplay – the ultimate co-pilot

Do you have Apple Carplay in your car? Congratulations, you can now use your phone's features directly on the dashboard. We at Kvdbil have taken a look at how it works.

A lot has happened in terms of how we listen to media in the car. From just having a few radio stations to tune between, via cassette players and CDs, you can now listen to thousands of different songs, podcasts and audiobooks that you have saved in your iPhone.

In this article we will tell you more about what Apple Carplay is and how to use it.

What is Apple Carplay?

Apple Carplay is a program that connects your iPhone to your car and allows you to use your phone in a safer – and smarter – way. With Apple Carplay, you can, without taking your hands off the wheel, talk on the phone, listen to music, go online, get directions and much more.

Many of the biggest car brands support Apple Carplay and there are today hundreds of car models to choose from. Some of the car manufacturers that have built support for Apple Carplay into the car are VW, Ford, Audi, Mercedes, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, Fiat, Mazda and Nissan.

This is how you know if your car supports Apple Carpay

If the car supports Apple Carplay, there must be controls. It can, for example, be a button on the steering wheel, control pad or a touch screen. The car's handbook contains instructions on how it works in your particular car.

Carplay uses Siri to communicate with your apps, so you don't even have to touch the phone or your touchscreen.

Carplay for iPhone

To use Carplay for iPhone, you first need to set up the program. Start the car and activate Siri. Then there are different ways to connect your iPhone to the car.

1. If the car only supports connection via USB you connect the phone to the car's USB socket. There may be a Carplay symbol at the outlet. The cable you connect with should be a Lightning-to-USB.

2. Some cars have support for connection both via cable and wireless. The first time you must connect via cable, but after that you can connect to Carplay wirelessly.

3. A third option is that the car only supports wireless connection. In that case, hold down the car's voice command button. The stereo must be in wireless or Bluetooth mode. You also need to have Wifi activated on the phone. Finally, check in the Carplay network that "connect automatically" is selected. Then go to Settings > General and select your car.

Using Siri with Apple Carplay

The easiest way to control Apple Carplay is to use Siri. That way, you don't have to take your eyes off the steering wheel and look for buttons and controls. You start Siri, either by simply saying "Hey Siri" or with a button on the touchscreen or the car's voice command button. Learn where those buttons are so you don't have to turn your head and take your eyes off the road.

Now you can talk to Siri and ask "her" to perform various commands. For example, get directions using Google Maps, have her read messages or play a song. Siri can also make suggestions for what to do next.

Wireless Apple Carplay

The most common so far is probably connecting to Carplay via a cable, but it is becoming increasingly common with car stereos that support wireless use. It's the easiest and safest way to use Carplay, as you can completely put your phone down when you get behind the wheel.

There are adapters that can transform your car stereo to work wirelessly. These are easily plugged into the stereo's USB port and then you activate both the car's and the phone's Carplay.

What can you do with Apple Carplay?

You cannot use all apps on your phone with Carplay, nor all apps that you download yourself. Here are some of the categories of apps that Apple allows:

• Maps and directions

• Audiobooks, music and podcasts

• Messages

• Voice calls

• Calendar

• The car manufacturer's apps for the car's functions

As of iOS 14:

• Parking

• Charging for electric cars

• Order take away food.

These are just a few examples of what you can do, but probably the ones you will find most useful. Over time, more and more apps from third-party developers will surely become available, but for now the range is relatively limited.