The future of the automotive infotainment system is all about connectivity, that is the theme for everything related to technology in our lives now. From our TVs right down to our watches, everything is connected in a synchronized ecosystem. And when we talk about a connected ecosystem, one of the biggest forces in this landscape is Apple. This one company pumps out smartphones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, portable media players, smartwatches, TVs, wireless earbuds, headphones, and smart speakers. The OS division of Apple does an exceptionally great job in keeping all of these devices connected, so even if you have one example of everything they sell as listed above, you can be rest assured that each and every device is synchronized to your smartphone.

Of course, Apple did not want to miss out on the automotive industry too, hence we have Apple CarPlay. If you have an iPhone, the car will stay connected to your smartphone. This way you can access the ecosystem through your car’s dashboard. This technology was launched in 2014, but now it can be found as standard in nearly all cars with functioning infotainment, your 2020 BMWs, the Acura 2020 RDX & 2020 Audi A3 2.0 T Premium. In fact, if any car does not have that in the equipment list, even having to buy them as an option seems to discourage customers and can hurt the sales of that model.

Needled to say, various manufacturers have now embraced the technology along with Android Auto into their infotainment and the software itself has developed significantly over the years, not just making itself accessible to more and more car models but also making the process of connecting with the car more streamlined and convenient. This is a crucial part in the handling of the infotainment as drivers cannot afford to take their eyes off the road to change the music on their phone or take references to form the maps; now they can do that simply on the infotainment screen to check out the Maps or Spotify, which is the intended use of an infotainment screen after all.

Not just Apple Music and Spotify, users can even send or receive messages and calls. One of the most common uses is also navigation through Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze, a bigger screen makes more sense when you need to look at it again and again throughout your journey and keep your eyes mostly on the road.

Apple CarPlay compatible car models

Pretty much every car that has launched after 2016 have this technology as standard or a part of the optional equipment; that would be over 500 car models from a lot of manufacturers:- Arbath, Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Borgward, Buick, Cadillac, Chery, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroen, Cowin Auto, Datsun, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, GMC, HA/MA, Haval, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Lifan, The Lincoln Motor Company, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Mini, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Qoros, RAM, Renault, Roewe, Seat, Skoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Tata, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Volvo.

Apple CarPlay compatible iPhone models

Buying that Acura 2020 RDX & 2020 Audi A3 2.0 T Premium is only half the job done, you also need to make sure that the iPhone is compatible or not in the first place. Apple on their website says that any iPhone which runs iOS 7 or later and has a Lightning connector is therefore compatible. If you have any one of these models, you are good to go:-

• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE (1st generation)
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 5

How does Apple CarPlay work?

First, you need to access the Apple CarPlay settings; you can do that on your smartphone Settings > General > CarPlay.

The Lightning Connector makes life easy by providing a seamless wired connection to the car as soon as it is plugged into a USB port in the car. The wireless support for Apple CarPlay has introduced in 2015 itself, with compatibility for iOS 9 and above. However, the car itself needs to come equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay to make use of that.

Apart from pulling data directly through the Lightning Connector, your iPhone gets charged simultaneously. You can go to very specific menus and functions otherwise available on your phone through the screen itself. These cars also usually feature a dedicated voice-control button. When you press it, the voice assistant Siri pays attention and you can ask for her help to make a call, a message or simply asking for directions.

What can Apple CarPlay do?

There are a lot of cool features in this module that helps you make full use of the connected technology and they are listed below

Siri: – at the heart of the whole Apple Ecosystem is their voice assistant Siri, she is the main component when it comes to hands-free and eyes-free controls. You can do all the basic functions like making calls, accessing contacts, return their missed calls, read incoming messages, listen to voicemails, dictate or send a new message, ask for directions and music to be played.

Music: – as soon as you ask Siri to play music, she can play from any of the catalogs you prefer, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Google Play Music. Not just that, you can even listen to podcasts and audiobooks through your car’s audio system. Apart from Siri’s help, you can also touch or built-in controls to navigate through music.

Navigation: – one of the biggest conveniences of this module, CarPlay supports various digital map services apart from its own Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze, all of them offer a pretty similar experience to what you will get on your phone. Apple Maps has more advantages for you than the others, like being able to share your ETA with your contacts. All three of them provide turn-by-turn navigation, traffic conditions, and the ability to plane a route. Siri can even help you with audible turn-by-turn directions when you ask it to plan a route.

Calls & Messages: – you can make or return your calls and listen to your voicemails; all of this can be done by asking Siri. The same goes for messages, Siri can read out the messages for you while you can dictate a message to send it or reply to it.

Calendar: – maybe not the most frequent app you might use while sitting on your car, but if you have an event lined up saved in your calendar, you can just tap on it if you have the location saved and the navigation app begins to show you directions.

What other apps are supported on Apple CarPlay?

Apple allows for some third-party integration; currently, you can also use these apps:- Amazon Music, WhatsApp, Google Play Music, Spotify, Tidal, At Bat, Overcast, Stitcher, Audiobooks.com, Vox, Audible, NPR One, Pandora, Zoom, Clammr, Google Maps, Downcast, and Waze.

We are nowhere near the peak of what this software can do, Apple CarPlay is going down a very bright and futuristic path; it is only wondered what else this brilliant technology has to offer over the years.