Image: Michal Gabiński
Tired of Tesla’s continued refusal to bake Apple CarPlay support into its electric vehicles (EVs), Polish developer Michał Gapiński (@mikegapinski) took matters into his own hands and in January shared with the world a workaround he created to run CarPlay on a Tesla.
Gapiński’s “hack” relies on running CarPlay on a custom build of Android, which he had originally installed on a Raspberry Pi connected to his Tesla. The project was still in its infancy back in January, and Gapiński promised to release it to the public “when it’s polished.” Later in February, the developer showed off an alpha build of the software.
Fast forward to today, Gapiński’s custom solution is finally ready for a public release and “Tesla Android” is now available to download on Github — reports Tesla North.
Tesla Android brings a custom build of Android to your car, allowing you to run Apple CarPlay as well as ScanMyTesla, an app that lets Tesla owners access their vehicle logs directly from their vehicle.
CarPlay is sorely missed by many Tesla owners, and it is right up there with some of the most-requested features for the company’s EVs. CarPlay is readily available in most modern cars today. By using CarPlay, you can sync a car’s infotainment system to your iPhone, allowing you to send and receive texts via Siri and access Apple Maps, Apple Music, and other supported CarPlay apps.
Take a look at Gapiński’s demo of the alpha build of “Tesla Android” below for an idea of what it’s all about:
Gapiński’s workaround may be the best chance Tesla owners have of getting CarPlay on their vehicles, especially given that Apple ultimately plans on becoming a direct competitor to Tesla with its own autonomous EV.
