- Tesla is working to add CarPlay to its vehicles according to a new report
- Apple’s infotainment system is popular with buyers
- Tesla has long resisted CarPlay but appears to have changed its mind
Apple’s CarPlay in-car navigation and entertainment system is popular — a survey cited by Apple in 2022 found that 79% of new car buyers considered it when purchasing a vehicle, for example — but there has been some notable resistance among automakers. Tesla has long been one of those companies, but in a surprising shift, a new report claims it is working to add CarPlay to its electric vehicles.
According to Bloomberg, Tesla “has begun testing [CarPlay] capacity internally.” This could result in the feature being released “in the coming months,” but “a plan has not been finalized and the release could come later.”
Tesla currently uses its own in-car infotainment system and the company has long resisted adding CarPlay to its fleet of electric cars, despite customer requests. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, has frequently feuded with Apple over its App Store policies, its poaching of Tesla engineers for its own shelved electric car project and other issues.
Lately things have changed. Bloomberg notes that Apple is a key distributor of Musk’s App X and Grok’s artificial intelligence (AI) model, while Tesla’s sales have “softened” recently. The media outlet also claims that some Tesla buyers have cited “lack of CarPlay support as a reason for not choosing the company’s cars.”
A popular feature
CarPlay is “one of the most requested features by customers” and “many drivers consider it a must-have option,” says Bloomberg, and that statement seems to reflect customer sentiment.
A McKinsey survey conducted in 2024 found that about a third of buyers around the world would not consider a car at all if it did not have CarPlay or the rival Android Auto system. That’s a lot of potential customers that Tesla is potentially missing out on by avoiding CarPlay.
An informal sweep of social media platforms shows that many Tesla owners are pleasantly surprised by the news. On Reddit, user hybridfrost claimed that having CarPlay would make his navigation experience smoother and avoid the need to switch to a different mapping app. Meanwhile, Reddit user R5Jockey explained his reason for supporting the move: “Cool. I hope this actually happens. I would love to have Waze on the screen.”
Interestingly, it looks like Tesla’s CarPlay implementation will be somewhat limited. Bloomberg believes CarPlay will occupy a window within Tesla’s own interface, meaning “Apple’s software will not completely replace Tesla’s operating system as it does in many other vehicles.” CarPlay will also not be able to use features like full self-driving mode, which will still require Tesla’s own navigation app. And Tesla will forego the most advanced version of CarPlay, called CarPlay Ultra, and opt for the regular edition.
With Tesla’s surprise change of course, one of the major automakers resisting CarPlay has apparently changed course. That could leave GM alone among large-scale manufacturers ditching Apple’s system, giving you many more vehicle options if Apple’s system is a must-have for you.
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