Apple CarPlay: setting up and connecting iPhone to car. Pros and cons of the program. Installing non-Apple applications
How to properly use an iPhone in a car or everything you need to know about CarPlay. Smartphone is one of the most popular modern devices. It is designed not only for conversations, but also for listening to music or using GPS navigation. This matter has not escaped the attention of car manufacturers, who are increasingly providing the opportunity to integrate a telephone with a radio in a car.
Integration means that when we connect the phone to the car, we will see on the screen the selected applications that we use every day. In addition to navigation, this can be news, movies, photos and programs. The type of application depends on what phone you are using. In addition, it is closely dependent on the connection standard: Android Auto, Bosch mySPIN, Ford AppLink, CarPlay, MirrorLink or MHL. We will review the most popular system - CarPlay.
The solution, developed by Apple and released on the market 5 years ago, only works with American branded phones. In most cars it works via a traditional USB connection. Starting with the new BMW 5 Series, CarPlay will also be available in wireless mode. You don't need to use a USB cable to see your phone apps on the radio screen.
How to check if your phone is compatible with CarPlay?
CarPlay mode is only available on some iPhones. It is available in the following models: 5, 5C, 5S, 6, S Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7 and 7 Plus. This feature is not available on iPad and iPod Touch. CarPlay comes installed by default on any compatible iPhone and requires no additional software.
How to check if your car radio is compatible with CarPlay?
The solution is only available on multimedia radios with a large color screen on which, for example, you can display a map of the navigation system. Compatible radio devices are usually not marked with the CarPlay logo symbol. Therefore, to make sure that head device car works with iPhone, you can use the car manufacturer's website and look for a tab dedicated to compatibility of phones with factory-installed equipment. Although on some cars (for example, Volvo XC90), CarPlay mode is available only after updating the radio firmware, which requires visiting the station.
How to set up a smartphone for CarPlay?
IN general settings phone, select the CarPlay option. For proper operation function must be activated voice assistant Siri (also in the general settings of the smartphone). Please note that on some vehicles, CarPlay may not work properly if you set your phone to a language other than US English.
Applications that run in CarPlay mode can be downloaded from the AppStore and installed automatically. Unfortunately, program availability varies by country. Therefore, their use on Russian market less than in the USA or Germany.
How to connect your phone to the car radio?
Both devices are connected via a USB cable. But on some cars equipped with several USB connectors (for example, BMW, Opel), only one of them is designed for connection in CarPlay mode. Unless specifically stated, you will need to check the manual for correctness. When connecting your phone, make sure the screen is unlocked. Otherwise, the CarPlay function will not turn on.
To use wireless CarPlay, you need to turn on the Bluetooth function on your phone and then activate voice control in the car.
How does CarPlay work?
The main CarPlay menu that appears on the screen at startup is the default programs selected by Apple. The icons are large and clearly labeled, making them much easier to use. The entire user interface is designed to voice control which requires knowledge in English. This was especially true for Apple Maps, where manual address entry was hidden from the user. Unfortunately, the program does not recognize Russian names of streets and cities that are pronounced by voice. This leaves time to be spent manually entering the target. In this regard, Apple Maps is certainly an inconvenient navigation program. Plus, Apple Maps also doesn't have warnings about police cameras and other issues.
In terms of stability, CarPlay scores very highly. The program does not freeze or slow down. None of the vehicles we tested experienced the problems that often occur with Mirror Link or Android Auto. Phone mode also works well - no one complained about voice and sound quality.
Apple CarPlay Works also for listening to music, podcasts or Internet radio. The sound quality is very good, and searching for recordings is intuitive (you can use recordings online and store them on your iPhone). Unfortunately, the choice of programs is very limited, in this regard Apple continues to give way to Google.
Pros and cons of the program
Disadvantages of Apple CarPlay
- Inconvenient manual entry of the navigation address
- Bad navigation program Apple Maps
- Limited number of applications
- High cost of buying new phones
Benefits of Apple CarPlay
- Stable operation in CarPlay mode
- Convenient menu with a list of applications
- Large selection of programs for listening to music
- Voice control with Siri function
Video instructions for CarPlay
Note that at the beginning of 2019, CarPlay still does not have official technical support. Apple support in Russia.
The CarPlay system is designed to make it possible using iPhone in your car more convenient.
The CarPlay system is the ability to broadcast the desktop of an Apple smartphone, as well as use its basic capabilities through the car’s on-board computer.
How to use CarPlay?
The main goal of this system is to ensure comfortable and safe driving. Now, while driving, making a phone call or writing an SMS has become much easier. It is not necessary to pick up the device at all. You can control it using voice commands, and the interactive assistant Siri will carry out instructions.CarPlay will work in your car if two conditions are met:
- you have a smartphone from the manufacturer Apple Inc. The function is available for iPhones 5th generation and older;
- your machine supports this interface.
Here, the data of cars to which your device has previously been connected and used through the CarPlay system is also stored.
You can find out whether this interface is available for your car on the official Apple website - on a special page https://www.apple.com/ru/ios/carplay/available-models/. Here you should select the car brand and see which models have this interface built-in. If your vehicle is on this list, then everything is fine and you can move on. Typically, starting in 2017, many car manufacturers declare support for CarPlay.
How to get started?
First of all, you need to connect your smartphone to the car. And the first thing you need to do is find the USB input. In the Mercedes Benz GLE 400 model, this port is hidden in the side glove compartment-armrest.
In our case, the required connector is marked with a picture of a phone, so we insert it not into the first hole, but into the second. It is important to use a certified cable. When working with Chinese counterfeits, smooth operation is not guaranteed.
By connecting your smartphone using the original lightning cable through the port, you will see a message on the car’s on-board monitor display. You will be prompted to activate the device automatically or manually. By choosing the first option, the CarPlay system will start on its own.
On iPhone screen you will also need to give permission to use it in conjunction with the car interface.
If you did everything correctly, then on the display on-board computer you will see an interactive menu with icons, just like on your phone.
You can interact with the system in several ways:
voice, using the corresponding button on the steering wheel, which activates verbal control. It is worth noting that this is a priority way of working. Therefore, even if you launch applications manually, you will continue to give commands to Siri verbally;
- accessible devices (buttons, wheels, touchpads, etc.);
- by touching the display if it is touch-sensitive.
"Call me, call…"
The CarPlay system allows you to make calls. To do this, you need to launch the “phone” application. To prevent the driver from being distracted from driving and choosing a caller on his own, Siri will ask you who you would like to call.
In order for the number to be dialed successfully, you must say the subscriber's name as his contact is recorded in address book. Otherwise, the assistant will not find the person and the call will not be made.
Turn on the musical accompaniment
Everything is displayed here, just like on your mobile device. Files are sorted by artist and album. You can create new or download previously created playlists.
By selecting the “songs” section, the entire list of iPhone tracks will appear in front of you. As with all standard players, audio files can be shuffled so that their order is not remembered.
To start listening to music, just select a song from the list and play it. The interface looks almost the same as on the iPhone: scroll buttons, pause, song duration indicator. In addition, you can even see the album cover in the background, but it's a little blurry.
Switching tracks is quite easy. There are rewind buttons for this. One click to the right or left will play the next or previous song, respectively.
Texting without hands
As with the call function, when you launch the Messages application, Siri will ask you to name the person to whom you want to send an SMS. After the correct command, the second question will follow: “what should I write?”It is enough to say the text out loud for the interactive assistant to process it. Then you will need to confirm the sending of the message announced earlier. Accordingly, if you answer “yes” to Siri’s question about confirmation, then the SMS will be sent, but if “no”, it will be saved as a draft.
Note that the CarPlay system allows you to receive text messages just as easily and quickly. If you receive an email, a line with information will appear at the top of the display. You need to click on it to open it.
Siri will ask if you want to read the content. Answer “yes” - the assistant will voice it. And this way you can conduct a whole correspondence without typing the text manually. Fast, convenient, and most importantly, you don’t need to be distracted from the road.
Always up-to-date navigation
Before you start working with maps, you may need to give the program access to your location. There is no need to go anywhere on your own. When you launch “maps”, the following message will appear on the smartphone screen. You need to click “settings”.
In the second step, click on the icon desired application, check the second line, and the geolocation service will be activated.
Now, when you launch this program, your location will be determined automatically.
To set a route, you need to select the microphone icon in the upper right corner. Siri will come to the rescue and ask you to name the desired location. You need to voice both the city and the street. Otherwise, the assistant will consider the address invalid.
Advantages and disadvantages
Based on the above, we can say that the CarPlay system has unconditional advantages. These include:- simplicity and ease of use. Voice interaction through the Siri interactive assistant frees up your hands. This allows you to solve necessary problems without taking your eyes off the road;
- high speed of work and information processing. The system is not a separate application, but is only an integration of the interface. Nevertheless, everything functions quite quickly and efficiently;
- always fresh updates. A car's internal software becomes outdated over time. And the CarPlay system is always up to date thanks to regular iOS updates. You can be sure that the maps application will always give you the correct route.
How it works in Russia We took a Tiguan in a new body. The City version, stuffed with electronics right up to the mudguards, is not a car, but one big gadget. You can’t figure it out at random; I spent the first few weeks carefully studying the instructions.
But I started, of course, with Apple CarPlay. I noticed that there was no review of this topic on the site yet. It's time to fix
CarPlay - what is it? iPhone type in car?
No, this is not an iPhone. It's not even a full-fledged operating system like iOS.
In fact, CarPlay is like AirPlay. That is, it is a system for transmitting and displaying data from your gadget on an external display. In this case, automobile.
But even these minimal functions are quite enough.
Important fact: CarPlay does not work without an iPhone. Therefore, it is always only part of the car’s media system. For example, I can play music through the good old AUX, listen to the radio, turn on CarPlay, or run a similar solution for Android. The driver always has a choice.
My Tiguan trim has a console with wired CarPlay. Wireless CarPlay is not that uncommon, it just happened to me.
But! Motorists, take note. Wired CarPlay is preferable to wireless because the latter forcefully turns on iPhone mode modem - and this mercilessly wastes the battery, which ultimately forces you to keep your smartphone on charge anyway. They didn't think it through.
Okay, time to figure it out. What can CarPlay do?
The set of applications in CarPlay does not depend on the version of the car’s media system. All programs are simply “picked up” from your iPhone.
CarPlay takes your apps from your iPhone and displays them in a different interface on the car’s media system screen. Kind of like a projector.
The media system displays alerts, messages, call history, map directions, and basically everything you did or continue to do on your iPhone. It’s quite convenient, but there are limitations, which I’ll talk about in more detail now.
Interestingly, if you removed any standard iOS app, then it will also disappear from CarPlay. Another reminder that CarPlay only duplicates the iPhone and is not an independent media system.
I explain the limitations and features of CarPlay applications.
1. 🎵 Apple Music
What you turn on first and why people use CarPlay in the first place. Apple Music was implemented beautifully; all tabs are accessible from the screen in the car, except for search. All so that you are not distracted by entering names while driving. This kind of concern makes me happy.
On the other hand, why not add voice input? To find a specific track or playlist, I have to take my iPhone and search there, it's much faster. It's just unsafe.
Apple Music works through your Mobile Internet on the iPhone or plays tracks previously downloaded to the smartphone’s memory. You can create a playlist station based on your favorite track directly from the media system screen. I've never found it useful.
2. ✉ Messages
“Messages” for CarPlay have also been greatly adapted. You won't find message history or attachments. The application will allow you to listen to the last message in the selected dialogue and immediately dictate a response to it.
The message will be read out loud again before sending. It will reach the recipient in text form, sometimes with funny speech recognition errors.
There can be no talk of any full-fledged correspondence. The Messages app on CarPlay is more of a backup. Suddenly something urgent comes. So forget about the poop emoticon, stickers and other goodies.
A notification with a new message will also not show you the text. Click on the blue arrow and listen to the answer. The counter on the icon syncs with your phone.
3. 📞 Calls
Calls were never affected. On the contrary, they have become more convenient. CarPlay navigates through Contacts, shows a list of recent and favorites, and allows you to enter a number manually. All this works with both the buttons on the steering wheel and the physical keys of the console.
Missed call notifications are also synchronized with your phone. Everything works quickly, is easy to turn on and is not distracting at all. 10 speakerphones out of 10.
4. 🗺 Cards
It will hardly surprise anyone that CarPlay only supports branded Apple Maps. The company is trying its best to support the lagging service. Perhaps in the USA the situation with Maps is better, but in Russia applications from Yandex or even 2GIS will be much more informative.
The lack of normal maps is critical for the regions of the Russian Federation, and even in the capital it is not encouraging. In dense traffic flow it is much information is more important about traffic jams and cameras than a beautiful interface. Not to mention the relevance of the data.
But when you disconnect from CarPlay, the parking location is marked in Maps. Nice little thing.
Personally, I was lucky. In our city, the roads are not very busy, and the location of the cameras is easy to remember. I turn on maps only occasionally, when I’m traveling to an unfamiliar address. And sometimes I disconnect my iPhone from CarPlay and launch Yandex on it to make sure I get there.
Hidden in the corner of the CarPlay touchpad is a small Home button (this depends on the model). Just like on the iPhone, pressing takes you back to the main menu from any app, and a long press brings up Siri.
There are no cool features for voice control of car systems. There were rumors that Apple CarPlay would learn how to control the temperature in the cabin, lock doors, or even park. I haven't observed this. I hope that in the coming updates they will add at least basic features. This is cool, the future and all that.
6. 📖 Audiobooks, Podcasts, WhatsApp and more
CarPlay supports third-party applications, as Apple proudly tells us. Either the developers are not interested in this direction, or the moderation rules in Cupertino are too strict - but in four years I see a very scant, pathetic list of CarPlay programs.
After a recent update, WhatsApp appeared among the icons. The program is practically no different from Messages - the same lack of text and history, the same dictation. But at least now you can communicate with those who use it.
Of the branded applications in the car’s infotainment system, Audiobooks and Podcasts are reflected. I'm not a fan of this type of entertainment, I didn't test it for long. Podcasts are downloaded directly from the Internet, and audiobooks will have to be downloaded to the iPhone in advance. The interface is intuitive and is unlikely to cause any difficulties for anyone: choose, turn on and listen.
What is CarPlay missing in Russia and beyond?
Normal third party applications.
Apple doesn't need to develop anything itself, just give other developers access. And they will figure out how to broadcast content on the screen without distracting the driver.
For example, a YouTube video might only play when the parking brake is on. Or even cooler, with a signal from the iPhone sensors that the car has stopped.
Messengers could show videos and gifs like this. Even Telegram support with the same dictation will make CarPlay better. But alas.
What's most disappointing is the lack of support for third-party map apps like Yandex. If it were, then I would confidently recommend CarPlay to iPhone owners: what driver would refuse a freely updated and always up-to-date navigator?
Bonus. How to install CarPlay in your Lada
You don't have to buy a stocked Volkswagen to use CarPlay. All you need is a receiver that supports the Apple interface!
This topic deserves a separate article, so I’ll keep it short for now. You can bother and bring wireless solution from Alpine, or go to any electronics store and buy simpler car radios, from Pioneer or Sony.
Starting from the 2017 model year, KIA Optima, Sportage, cee’d cars, as well as the updated KIA Soul in Russia will receive a new generation multimedia navigation system. New system It features a more powerful processor and a more sensitive touch screen with high contrast. The new generation navigation system allows you to more accurately determine your location and receive information about traffic conditions in real time, as well as more conveniently search for objects. Compatibility of the new KIA multimedia navigation system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto opens up additional opportunities for Internet access and integration with smartphones running iOS and Android operating systems. Detailed information about the Russian model line and KIA technologies is available on the official website www..- News
Moscow, January 20, 2017– A number of models of the Russian KIA line from the 2017 model year will receive a new generation multimedia navigation system. Thanks to new functionality, including compatibility with Android platforms Auto and Apple CarPlay, the new product will expand navigation capabilities and allow you to access the main functions of your smartphone through the large touch display of the multimedia system, without being distracted from driving.
Some trim levels will be equipped with a new multimedia navigation system for the 2017 model year. The cars will go on sale in February 2017. The new system will be installed on the updated urban crossover from the moment sales of this model begin in Russia in February.
The fundamental technical differences of the new multimedia navigation system are the use of a more powerful dual-core processor with clock frequency 1 GHz, volume increase random access memory up to 1 GB, new capacitive touch screen. Additional features opens the transition to a more modern operating room Android system 4.2 Jelly Bean, as well as support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms for full integration of smartphones with the car's multimedia system. Accurate and fast navigation is achieved thanks to even more detailed maps and the use of new positioning and acceleration sensors.
KIA cars with the new multimedia navigation system will be equipped with high-quality touch display 7 or 8 inches diagonal. Thanks to the application modern technology, the display has high color contrast and provides a wider viewing angle of the screen. The capacitive touchscreen has a thin layer of glass instead of plastic, so images look brighter and clearer. The display also features better sensitivity, faster response times and the ability to turn pages and scroll, almost like a smartphone.
The compatibility of the new generation KIA multimedia navigation system with the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms allows you to display the main functionality of your smartphone on the head unit display. Now make calls, send SMS messages, use Apple Maps or Google Maps, as well as a smartphone’s media library with music, audiobooks, it will be possible using a large touch screen car multimedia system. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay also allow voice commands.
Additional free services navigation systems allow you to receive information about traffic jams and weather forecasts in real time, and search for objects (gas stations, restaurants, attractions, etc.) using an up-to-date database via the Internet. Current traffic data is loaded when WiFi assistance through mobile phone, connected to the car's multimedia navigation system.
As before, the new KIA multimedia system includes connectivity mobile devices via Bluetooth protocol to use the standard audio system for telephone conversations in speakerphone mode and listening to music. Also external devices can be connected via USB connector.
Detailed information about the Russian model line and KIA technologies is available on the official website and from authorized dealers of the brand in the Russian Federation.