Tesla vehicles run their own operating system and in order to have Apple CarPlay support, you need to use an Android hack on a Raspberry Pi workaround.
But according to Bloomberg’s scoop this morning, Tesla is reportedly working on bringing Apple CarPlay to its vehicles and has been testing the feature privately, says unnamed people familiar with the project. This would bring the first third-party support to Tesla vehicles.
Sources say Tesla is developing a wireless CarPlay setup that would run inside a window on the existing Tesla interface, rather than taking over the full screen. It wouldn’t connect to car controls like climate or seat settings, but drivers would still get access to Apple apps including Maps, Music and Messages.
Bloomberg says sources say Tesla has talked about bringing CarPlay support “in the coming months”, but no plans have been finalized.
The version of CarPlay being supported would be the standard version, not the newer Ultra version.
Back in 2017, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, “CarPlay is a crutch. Tesla’s interface is designed from the ground up for the car.” During its Q3 2020 earnings call, Musk also said Tesla had “no plans” to support CarPlay or Android Auto. “We believe our in-house software is superior and more integrated with the vehicle,” said Musk.
More recently, last year during Tesla’s Q1 2024 earnings call, he said, “We’re not adding CarPlay. Our UI is the best in the industry.”
Now, it appears there would be a huge reversal for Tesla to make this change. Apple CarPlay support is seen as a factor for some users when it comes to buying a new car.
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The whole thing with Tesla's FSD is going through their maps for navigation. How would this work with users hooked up to CarPlay and using, say.. Waze?
Sounds like the FSD probably wouldn’t know or care about Waze or Apple Maps, if CarPlay is just one sub-window.