In today’s cars, technology is everything.
If you own a Tesla or are considering buying one, you may be wondering if your car will have a feature allowing you to integrate with Apple CarPlay.
To find out, we’ve got the information you need!
Tesla does not offer Apple CarPlay on any of its vast array of vehicles. This is very surprising to most people looking to buy a Tesla since Apple CarPlay has become such a common feature in most of today’s new vehicles.
While some people have suggested this occurred due to a feud between Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla founder Elon Musk, we agree with most experts and believe it is more about Musk wanting to have his Tesla vehicles be trendsetters within the automotive industry.
Why Don’t Tesla’s Have Apple CarPlay?
Well-known for bucking conventional thinking and current trends, Musk doesn’t seem to think Apple CarPlay is a feature his vehicles need at the moment.
When you think of the Tesla infotainment system, it’s best to think in terms of simplicity, which is rather surprising for cars that rely so much on state-of-the-art technology.
Featuring a display screen that is easy to view while driving, you can access various games that can be played when your car is parked, letting you use your Tesla steering wheel and its controls as joysticks.
In most Tesla models, the music aspect of the infotainment system is what’s considered to be the big draw.
Along with having access to Spotify and TuneIn, most Tesla models also feature in-car karaoke.
If you opt to use this feature, be very careful while you’re driving.
Can CarPlay be Added to a Tesla?
While Apple CarPlay can usually be added to almost any vehicle, you may have difficulty trying to do this for your Tesla.
Since there is no dedicated app in a Tesla for Apple Music, your best bet is to stream it directly over Bluetooth.
Due to the Tesla software not being designed to support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, it is currently not an option for you to add CarPlay to your Tesla.
Along with this, Tesla cars are made so that each vehicle’s infotainment system is important in terms of letting the driver operate the vehicle.
In a Tesla infotainment display, almost all functions of the car are displayed at any given moment!
This includes climate control, speedometer, and other functions.
Though there are currently nearly 70 auto manufacturers worldwide offering Apple CarPlay in their vehicles, don’t expect Tesla to be on the list anytime soon, nor make any changes to its existing software to allow the addition of Apple CarPlay to your Tesla.
Can You Connect an iPhone to a Tesla?
Finally, we have some good news for you in that yes, you can connect your iPhone to your Tesla.
To do so, you’ll need to download the Tesla iPhone app to your smartphone, then follow a few more instructions once you get connected to your car’s infotainment system.
However, remember that none of this will be possible until you use the app you downloaded to connect your iPhone to Tesla Bluetooth.
A relatively simple process, this will enable you to use your iPhone as a car key for your Tesla, monitor its charging, lock and unlock your car, and gain access to the car’s climate controls.
Best of all, you can actually have more than one phone connected to your Tesla at any given time.
Having the Tesla app downloaded on multiple phones means numerous people can be logged into the same account simultaneously.
Thus, it is possible you could hold a large conference call while you are driving down the road.
Should you want to have the Tesla app downloaded to multiple phones, this initially sounds as if it could be confusing within your Tesla’s infotainment system. However, that’s not the case.
The infotainment system on your Tesla is set up so that even if you have multiple phones on the same account, you can choose one phone to be the “favored” phone that the Tesla system will search for when you start your vehicle.
Can I Stream Content from My iPhone to Tesla Browser?
Yet another question that comes with an answer of yes. If you use the TeslaMirror app for your iPhone, this then makes it possible for you to stream content from your phone screen to the web browser on your Tesla.
No extra hardware is needed for this, and most owners we know have reported few if any problems with this feature.
Will Apple CarPlay Ever be in Tesla Vehicles?
As of now, it is hard to say whether or not Apple CarPlay will someday become a standard feature on Tesla models.
However, we think there are signs this could be the case in the not-too-distant future.
To begin with, there was a brief period of time when some Tesla owners reported Tesla’s in-car software did provide support for Apple Music, although this was likely an engineering error that was quickly resolved.
Even though Tesla does not want to sacrifice control of its prized interface to Apple, it’s a good bet pressure from current and future Tesla drivers will bring about a change in the Tesla infotainment system.
Interestingly enough, Tesla vehicles already support Netflix, which may indicate a move toward not only adding CarPlay to its infotainment system but also Apple TV+ and Apple Podcasts.
In return, we think Apple could do well to supply Tesla with easier integration capabilities for Apple Maps since this could aid drivers in making Tesla charging stations more prominent.
Since both of these companies are known for their innovation as well as their ability to turn new ideas into huge profits, it stands to reason that Apple CarPlay will probably find its way into most if not all Tesla models.
If so, you and many other drivers will be grateful.
