Tesla is still working on CarPlay support. Here’s what we know

Last November, bloomberg We brought you the news that Tesla is working on CarPlay support. This is a dramatic shift in direction for Elon Musk’s company.

Here’s the latest we know about Tesla’s plans to support CarPlay.

How Tesla’s CarPlay support works

Mark Garman further reinforced this report this weekend, saying that CarPlay is “still in development” at Tesla and that we can expect more information about it “soon.” This suggests that Tesla is not withdrawing its plans or ceasing work at this time.

According to bloombergTesla plans to integrate CarPlay with its own infotainment interface. What this means is that the two platforms will coexist with each other, rather than CarPlay taking over completely like it does in some cars.

“Tesla plans to include CarPlay within a window within its broader interface,” Bloomberg reported. CarPlay does not integrate with features such as Autopilot or fully autonomous driving (with supervision).

The image above is a mockup, but it could represent how Tesla will integrate CarPlay. You can see that Tesla still controls the left third of the screen and the bottom navigation bar, while CarPlay controls the remaining two-thirds of the screen.

Tesla is reportedly planning to support wireless CarPlay. This means you don’t need to connect your iPhone to access this feature. Instead, it connects automatically when you get into your car.

9to5Mac’s opinion

This hybrid solution makes a lot of sense for Tesla, which has spent years developing perhaps the best in-car software experience of any automaker.

By integrating the two platforms, drivers will continue to be able to use Tesla’s interface for charging, driver assistance features, climate control, and more. CarPlay, on the other hand, can be used for Apple Maps, media playback, and other apps.

Tesla offers native apps for Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, but it lacks the breadth of apps available via CarPlay. For example, I always use apps like Overcast and Apple Books on CarPlay. Allowing drivers to use these apps without actually looking at the iPhone is a huge benefit. It’s essentially the best of both worlds.

What do you think about Tesla adding CarPlay support? Let us know in the comments.

My Favorite CarPlay Accessories

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