5 Apple CarPlay Features You’re Probably Not Using | BGR

The Unused Potential of Apple CarPlay: Beyond Navigation and Music

Apple CarPlay, introduced in March 2014, has become a staple in many modern vehicles, evolving from a basic interface to a feature-rich system for accessing iPhone functionalities while driving. While Apple consistently adds latest features, some remain surprisingly underutilized. This isn’t necessarily due to poor design, but often because more streamlined alternatives exist, or the features simply don’t address a widespread need. Based on user feedback and personal experience – having driven a Honda WRV for the past five years – here’s a look at five Apple CarPlay features that often travel unnoticed.

Customizing the Aesthetic: The Rarely Touched Wallpaper Option

Apple CarPlay allows users to change the display wallpaper, yet it’s a customization most drivers rarely bother with. The default wallpaper is perfectly functional, and altering it doesn’t fundamentally improve CarPlay’s core capabilities. It won’t enhance navigation accuracy or audio playback quality – the features most CarPlay users prioritize. During driving, attention is naturally focused on critical information like speed, turn-by-turn directions, traffic updates, and incoming notifications, rather than the visual aesthetics of the display.

CarPlay’s customization options are limited. Users can’t set custom wallpapers. they’re restricted to a preloaded selection. This lack of flexibility means finding a wallpaper that perfectly complements a car’s interior is unlikely. Wallpapers on CarPlay feel more like a checklist item than a genuinely useful feature, offering limited value beyond a superficial change in appearance. Adoption remains low.

SharePlay: A Well-Intentioned Feature Hampered by Reality

SharePlay, designed to allow passengers to collaboratively control music playback, hasn’t resonated with many CarPlay users. The concept – shared control – often leads to chaos. Differing musical tastes can quickly turn a road trip into a battle of the playlists, with passengers adding songs that disrupt the driver’s preferred vibe. Ideally, the driver should maintain control over the audio experience.

Practical limitations also hinder SharePlay’s adoption. While most iPhone users are on iOS 17 or later, not all utilize Apple Music. Many prefer streaming services like Spotify. The driver or the SharePlay initiator must have an active Apple Music subscription, a requirement that excludes many potential users. These factors contribute to SharePlay’s limited success and infrequent leverage.

Siri’s Struggles in the Automotive Environment

While Siri is a capable assistant on iPhones, its performance within the CarPlay environment is often underwhelming. Many newer vehicles feature dedicated steering wheel controls for activating Siri, but the noisy cabin environment – engine rumble, road noise, and traffic sounds – frequently interferes with voice recognition. This can lead to misinterpretations of commands, incorrect phone calls, or inaccurate navigation instructions. Imagine asking Siri to call a contact, only to have it dial the wrong number, or requesting directions to a destination and being directed elsewhere. These aren’t isolated incidents; they’re common occurrences for many CarPlay users.

Improving Siri’s reliability in CarPlay requires a multi-faceted approach. Automobile manufacturers need to install higher-quality microphones, particularly in more affordable vehicle models, and position them closer to the driver to enhance audio clarity. Better microphone placement and improved noise cancellation algorithms are crucial for accurate voice command recognition. Until these improvements are implemented, Siri remains best suited for simpler tasks within CarPlay, where accuracy is less critical.

Driving Focus: A Feature Best Left on the iPhone

Apple’s Driving Focus mode, designed to minimize distractions while driving, is more effective on iPhones than within CarPlay. On CarPlay, it can inadvertently suppress important notifications unless meticulously customized on the iPhone itself. The issue isn’t that Driving Focus is poorly designed, but rather that individual driving needs vary significantly. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.

Personal experience highlights the challenges of configuring Driving Focus. After initially setting up allowed contacts for notifications, the feature malfunctioned, leading to missed alerts. This experience discouraged further experimentation. Driving scenarios differ greatly. A quick trip to the supermarket requires a different notification strategy than a long highway drive. Automatically activating Focus in all situations is often undesirable, while manually toggling it on and off negates its convenience.

Sharing ETA: A Redundant Feature in a Connected World

Apple Maps allows CarPlay users to share their estimated time of arrival (ETA) with contacts, but the feature feels largely unnecessary. Most people already have simpler methods for communicating their arrival time, such as sending a quick text message: “I’m on my way,” or “I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” These messages are often sufficient and don’t require sharing precise location data.

Sharing ETA is most useful when communicating with close family or friends, but many people already share their location with these contacts through other apps. This renders the ETA-sharing feature redundant. While theoretically useful, it doesn’t feel natural for many CarPlay users and can even be perceived as overly intrusive. This explains why many, including myself, rarely utilize this feature.

As Apple CarPlay continues to evolve, refining existing features and addressing user concerns will be crucial. While the platform offers a wealth of functionality, focusing on improving the reliability of voice assistants like Siri, streamlining notification management, and offering more meaningful customization options could significantly enhance the overall user experience. The future of CarPlay likely lies not in adding more features, but in perfecting the ones already available, ensuring they seamlessly integrate into the driving experience and genuinely address user needs. The continued development of automotive technology will undoubtedly play a role in shaping CarPlay’s future, with advancements in microphone technology and noise cancellation paving the way for more accurate voice control and a more intuitive user interface.