Is Tesla finally caving into owners’ wishes and adding Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring to its infotainment system?
Sources within Tesla have told Bloomberg the automaker is actively developing and testing support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles. Tesla isn’t working on Android Auto support, though. Nor is it looking to make use of CarPlay Ultra, which takes over every screen in the car and all of their functionality.
CarPlay on Teslas will reportedly not take up the entire infotainment screen. This is a common solution for large infotainment screens, especially those in vehicles where many common functions, such as climate controls, are primarily or exclusively controlled via the main touchscreen.
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Drivers wanting to make use of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) will need to enter their destination into Tesla’s native navigation app, as using Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze on CarPlay will only yield turn-by-turn navigation.
It’s unclear when CarPlay might be deployed by Tesla, but the sources indicate it could be in the coming months, although plans have yet to be finalised.
Of course, developing and testing CarPlay support, or any feature for that matter, isn’t a guarantee that it will come out to market.
If it does come to pass, though, it will come at an important time for the automaker, and may help to keep current owners in the fold and entice those thinking of jumping into EV ownership.
Although the company is still the leading EV brand, by far, in the US, Tesla is falling behind in the global EV sales race. Up to the end of September, Tesla’s global sales have fallen around 6 per cent to 1.22 million units,placing it second behind BYD, which recorded a rise of 37 per cent to 1.61 million vehicles.
Tesla’s sales, especially in Europe, have been hit hard by a combination of factors, including increased competition from European and Chinese automakers, an ageing model line, and CEO Elon Musk’s divisive politics.
Should Tesla roll out support for Apple CarPlay, it will be interesting to see whether it will influence other automakers who don’t support smartphone mirroring.
Like Tesla, American rival Rivian has never supported Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and argues its own infotainment system offers better functionality and performance, especially in relation to navigation, where range and charger information is important for long road trips.
Conversely, General Motors was an early adopter of CarPlay and Android Auto, but began dropping mirroring support from its new EVs in 2023, and last month confirmed it would do the same thing for new combustion-engined vehicles.
The General’s latest infotainment systems are based on the Android Automotive operating system, and feature Google Maps, Google Assistant and other common apps as standard. GM CEO Mary Barra has criticised smartphone mirroring for making the infotainment experience feel disjointed. The automaker is also hoping to turn infotainment subscription services into a major source of revenue.
Despite this Cadillac will continue to offer CarPlay and Android Auto support in select export markets, including Australia.