Make sure you know these 3 things about Apple CarPlay

We already know that the automakers are changing their take on automobile manufacturing. While some manufacturers focus more on actual safety during car trips, there are also vehicle manufacturers who focus attention on the on-road entertainment and convenience of the passengers as well.

These include the screens, the audio units, and the infotainment system. One of the go-to systems when it comes to this is Apple CarPlay. If you’re tech-savvy, you may have already heard of this.

But if not, you may want to know more about it before getting a car that has one. What is CarPlay? How does it work? How can you use it? What else is there that you need to know about it? Check out everything you need to know right here.

1. What is Apple CarPlay?

CarPlay is an innovative feature that’s present in iPhones. It lets you and your iPhone take over the vehicle’s infotainment system. 

If you have CarPlay, the infotainment system will be easier for you to access. You won’t have to get yourself used to the infotainment program provided by your car manufacturer. Instead, you can make it adjust to you.

This will come in handy if your system is either becoming obsolete or is too new for you. CarPlay makes it easy for you to control and manipulate your music and playlist preference, make calls, and get step-by-step directions using your handheld device. It’s like your iPhone is the main brain of the whole operation.

If you have CarPlay, the infotainment system will be easier for you to access and understand

But there is a drawback to this. Not every vehicle out there can support Apple CarPlay natively. In fact, Apple and CarPlay maintain a solid list of vehicle models that they can support.

>>> Check out: [Philkotse guide] How to use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto probably.

2. CarPlay lets you control your phone without touching it

The headline may not be so enticing, but wait till we get to the good part. People have been using their iPhones with Siri for quite some time now. But this functionality is taken to a whole new level: Siri and CarPlay allow you to make phone calls, listen to texts, or listen to your favorite playlist. And this can all be done without laying a finger on your phone!

Aside from that, you can also get turn-by-turn navigation to make it easy for you to go wherever you want. This info will be displayed on the vehicle’s infotainment system. This screen is way larger than your phone’s, so it's easy to look at. You can simply take occasional glances at it to follow the navigation instructions.

You can also get turn-by-turn navigation to make it easy for you to go wherever you want

Vehicles that are capable of supporting Siri comes with a button somewhere on the steering wheel. This button makes it easy for you to activate Siri. You can use it to “Call Dad” or “Text Mike.” You can even give your mom a “Mom” nickname in your device’s contacts.

You can use this for easier voice commands. Infotainment systems that support CarPlay are touchscreen ones. This means you can go ahead and operate the CarPlay system without having to swipe and touch your smaller handheld iPhone.

One should generally be able to give commands and make things happen without using their hands. But in case you want to enlarge the map on your display, just activate the app.

>>> Have you known about the bright and dark sides of Apple cars you need to know?

Infotainment systems that support CarPlay are touchscreen ones

>>> Also read: 3 things you should know about car's infotainment system.

3. How to use CarPlay in your car

This part is probably the easiest to understand among everything posted here. A lot of the CarPlay-enabled vehicles out there will let you plug your phone to its infotainment system. This should be done using a Lightning connector that would be supplied together with your iPhone.

A lot of the CarPlay-enabled vehicles out there will let you plug your phone to its infotainment system

To put simply, this is the same cable connector that you use to charge your handheld device. If CarPlay doesn’t automatically come up with your screen, there should be a button with a “CarPlay” label on the menu. Pressing this should allow you to shift to CarPlay. You can also switch back to the default infotainment system anytime you want.

There are also newer cars with Bluetooth for CarPlay capability. We at Philkotse.com suggest that it’s better to plug your phone into your car’s system this also charges your phone and keeps it from draining. The Bluetooth functionality may also come in handy. Before you can use your vehicle’s Bluetooth for CarPlay capability, you need to follow the directions displayed on your vehicle’s infotainment system.