How To Add CarPlay To Your Car

CarPlay kit

A CarPlay kit such as JBL’s new Legend is a fairly chunky piece of gear. It includes a 6.75-inch touch-sensitive screen, along with all the electronics needed to run the CarPlay software and apps. There’s a microphone for voice calls and Siri, too.

In-car entertainment

Once installed, the Legend acts like a standard car-entertainment system. It includes AM and FM radios, and can play music from any device with a USB connector. The Phone button switches everything over to CarPlay, so it can link up with the iOS apps on your iPhone.

Eyes free

You need Maps for navigation, but CarPlay primarily focuses on audio-based apps such as Music and Phone, which don’t require you to take your eyes off the road. There are some third-party apps that work with CarPlay but these also focus on audio, such as Spotify.

Hey, Siri

And, of course, there’s Siri. You can use Siri in your car just as you would ordinarily use it with your iPhone, so you can ask it to launch Maps and locate a particular destination, play some music, or make a call to your office. Or just pass the time on a long trip…