Get the most out of Apple's in-car system with these CarPlay tips

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Are you looking for CarPlay tips? Then you've come to the right place. In this guide we list the best tips for CarPlay. This allows you to get more out of Apple's in-car software system.

The best CarPlay tips

With CarPlay you can easily use some apps from your iPhone in the car. But where should you start? What do you need and how do you get the most out of CarPlay? We have bundled our existing tips about CarPlay and provide additional tricks to work faster with CarPlay.

  • Requirements
  • Hands-free
  • HomeKit
  • Shortcuts
  • Go to first home screen
  • Siri via button
  • Switch between apps
  • Light mode
  • Send messages faster
  • Have incoming messages read to you
  • Driving focus
  • Wireless connection
  • Other tips

#1 This is what you need for CarPlay

In any case, you need an iPhone to get started with CarPlay. An iPhone alone is not enough, because you also need a suitable CarPlay radio. Various radio manufacturers have added support for CarPlay in various models. Some models work wirelessly, but most require a Lightning cable. That means that you always have to connect your iPhone wired via a USB port in the car radio. The advantage is that your iPhone will charge at the same time.

See also

Build in CarPlay? These CarPlay systems are for sale aftermarket

Do you already have a car and would you like to use CarPlay? With these aftermarket CarPlay radios you make your car suitable for CarPlay, so that you can use suitable iPhone apps in the car.

In addition to the CarPlay radios, there are also many car brands that are standard equipped with CarPlay in their built-in systems. Most recent cars are already equipped with CarPlay as standard, but sometimes you have to pay a small surcharge to activate it. Ask your car dealer for the possibilities. In our tip you can read which cars have CarPlay support.

#2 Use Hé Siri for hands-free CarPlay

You use Hé Siri may already be able to activate your HomeKit devices at home or to give other commands, but did you know that you Hé Siri can also be used in the car? Once you have the H&eac; Siri command, Siri responds on your CarPlay screen. Then give your command, such as “Take me home” or “Send a message to Tim” to use CarPlay completely hands-free. So you don't have to tap the screen or press buttons on your car radio, so you can keep your attention on the road and your hands on the wheel.

See also #3 Using HomeKit with CarPlay

CarPlay doesn't have its own Home app to quickly activate scenes when you come home or leave, for example, but that doesn't mean you can't use HomeKit via CarPlay at all. All your commands that you can give to your HomeKit home via Siri also work in CarPlay. For example, while you are on your way home, ask how warm it is in the house and, if necessary, turn up the thermostat so that you come home to a warm house. This also comes in handy if you'd rather not use your location data to automate scenes. You can then simply switch your lights on or off via CarPlay.

#4 Use Siri Shortcuts via CarPlay

Another way to get the most out of CarPlay is through Siri Shortcuts. There are a variety of shortcuts available through the gallery in the Shortcuts app. For example, you send your expected arrival time in a message to your partner via one simple Siri command. If you are already in the car, you can do so immediately via CarPlay. All commands via Siri Shortcuts that do not require a specific app can be used via CarPlay. Simply tell Siri in CarPlay the name of the command and it will run.

In addition, there are the personal automations in the Assignments app. For example, you can automatically start your favorite navigation app as soon as you connect your iPhone to CarPlay. You will never have to manually start Flitsmeister, Google Maps or another app again. Currently in iOS 16.3 due to a bug it is possible to open only one app automatically and not one as in previous versions.

See also

This is how you automatically start your favorite navigation app when you get in the car

Do you always use the same navigation app while driving? Then there is a way to automatically start your favorite traffic app when you get in the car. In this tip you can read how to automatically start an app when you connect to Bluetooth or CarPlay.

#5 Quickly return to first home screen

Now that there are many more CarPlay apps available, the home screen is also filling up with more and more app icons. Just like on the iPhone, the CarPlay home screen consists of several screens that you can swipe between. If you have three or more screens, it's a bit inconvenient to have to swipe across the screen multiple times. Fortunately, there is a handy shortcut, which you may know from your iPhone with the home button. You can simply tap the virtual home button at the bottom left of your CarPlay screen to immediately return to the first screen. And if you tap again, you will go to the CarPlay Dashboard.

See also

These are the best CarPlay apps for music, messaging and more

With a CarPlay radio in your car, you can use certain apps on your iPhone on the road. What are the best apps and which ones should you not miss as a CarPlay user? In this guide we show the best CarPlay apps.

#6 Activate Siri via button

This virtual home button comes in handy in even more ways. Not only do you close apps with it or return to the first home screen, you can also use it to activate Siri. This works just like on the iPhone or iPad: all you have to do is press and hold the virtual home button to launch Siri. If your car has a separate physical button for voice control, you may also be able to use it to call up Siri. And the good thing is that Siri doesn't block the view of the current app either, so you can still see your navigation instructions on screen.

#7 Switching apps

You can quickly switch between three apps via the left sidebar of your CarPlay screen. However, this works differently than the App Switcher on your iPhone or iPad. Three types of apps always appear on CarPlay: a navigation or car app, an audio app and a communication app. The latter category also includes the Calendar and Settings app. So you cannot quickly switch between two types of CarPlay navigation apps, because one replaces the other. The buttons come in handy if you want to quickly control your music from your navigation or want to send a message via WhatsApp or iMessage. You can read more about CarPlay multitasking in our tip.

Also see

How multitasking works in Apple CarPlay

In Apple CarPlay you can quickly switch between three types of apps thanks to the app selector in the sidebar. But how exactly does multitasking in CarPlay work? We explain it to you.

#8 Daytime Light Mode

You can choose both a light and dark mode in CarPlay. The light mode is especially useful when the sun is low and shines directly on your display, so you see everything less well. You cannot choose to always set the light mode, because via the Settings app on CarPlay you can only choose Automatic or Always dark via Display. If you choose Automatic, the background only changes to the dark variant after sunset. Except for the Home screen and Dashboard, light mode also affects the default apps.

#9 Faster messaging with CarPlay

Sending a message with CarPlay is done via Siri. This is possible with iMessage as well as WhatsApp, Telegram and other similar apps with a CarPlay version. You say who you want to send it to and dictate your message. Normally, Siri reads your message, after which the assistant asks whether you want to send it or not. But thanks to a simple setting you can also choose to have the message sent automatically immediately, without confirmation being required. Siri will still read your message, but if you do nothing after that, it will be sent automatically. If something is not right, you can always intervene by tapping Edit.

See also

With iOS 16, Send Messages Automatically With Siri: Reply Without Confirmation

From iOS 16 you can send messages faster with Siri. Siri will then no longer ask you for confirmation after dictating your message. That is especially useful in CarPlay.

#10 Have CarPlay messages read aloud

Another handy trick to make sure you keep your eyes on the road is to have incoming messages automatically read out in CarPlay. You can choose to have every message that comes in via WhatsApp and iMessage automatically read aloud. This way you don't have to tap the message manually and you immediately hear whether it is important to reply immediately or whether it can wait a little longer. Meanwhile, you can keep your eyes on the road.

See also

How to have your messages read out automatically in CarPlay

Did you know that you can choose to have your messages automatically read by Siri with CarPlay as soon as you receive them? In this tip you can read how it works and how to enable or disable it.

#11 Enable driving focus

Prefer not to be disturbed at all? That is of course also possible. You can set up CarPlay so that the Driving focus automatically becomes active as soon as you connect to CarPlay. As a result, others know that you are in the car and that an answer from you will take a while. At the same time, you continue to benefit from the benefits of CarPlay, such as navigation and your own music. You can find this option in the Settings app in CarPlay.

#12 Prefer wireless? You can!

For most cars, CarPlay will require a wired connection, but there are also more and more built-in systems that support wireless CarPlay. But did you know that you can also do this yourself via an adapter via a detour? There are several CarPlay adapters on the market that can make wired CarPlay wireless. This works with most built-in systems from car brands, but also some built-in radios from Pioneer, for example. You connect the adapter to the USB port that you normally connect your iPhone to and then your iPhone connects wirelessly to the adapter. Keep in mind that this method is not officially supported by Apple and that it may not always work well, depending on your car, installation system and chosen adapter. We once wrote a review about the CPlay2Air adapter.

See also

CPLAY2air review: an adapter for wireless CarPlay

In this review of the CPLAY2air we review this adapter for wireless CarPlay. Some users swear by it, while serious complaints are also shared. You can read our experiences here.

#13 Other tips for CarPlay

Check all our separate tips about CarPlay, in which we explain more about how to set up and use things:

  • Set up apps and notifications for CarPlay
  • How to use WhatsApp with CarPlay: all about safe WhatsApp in the car
  • Set up apps and notifications for CarPlay
  • Apple Maps in CarPlay: enter address manually and find popular locations
  • Block and disable use of CarPlay on iPhone