What is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

What is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were designed to allow you to control the most important functions of your smartphone from the car's multimedia system. They both aim to bring the familiarity and convenience of your smartphone to your car's dashboard. Because so many new cars on the market are equipped with each of these technologies, it's worth going over the features to see which one sounds like it'll work best for you.

Android Auto

The advantage of Android Auto is that it’s an entirely new operating system which operates independently of your vehicle.

This system is available through your Samsung smartphone or another phone with Android such as Huawei and works via USB or wirelessly. On the main screen all of your apps are configured in rows,in which you have to scroll up and down to view each of them, but the one benefit of using AndroidAuto over AppleCarPlay is you have a lot more freedom in terms of the applications you’re able to use and run on the system.

You have access to notifications, maps, voice control, phone and the ability to view your recently closed apps. There’s also a lot of customisation available in the settings on your smartphone such as dark mode. 
 

Apple CarPlay

CarPlay is available on all Apple devices and similar to AndroidAuto, you can connect this wirelessly or via USB.

Instead of having rows of apps as with AndroidAuto, there is an entirely different layout; you scroll left to right rather than scrolling up and down. You have shortcuts to navigation, music and voice control, and you can either use the screen to activate the voice recognition or your vehicle's voice recognition button.

However, you don’t have much choice in terms of the apps that can run on AppleCarplay. That being said, the app's choices are expanding, and with the latest iOS 14 version, Apple has integrated the ability for developers to come up with apps that service EV’s, restaurants and food delivery services.

Settings within AppleCarplay when connected to the car give greater choice, so you can set do not disturb while you’re driving and you have the ability to set different wallpapers.

With AppleCarplay AndroidAuto, it’s easy to simply plug your mobile into your car and extend the functionality of your infotainment system. You don’t even have to spend large amounts to get your hands on this technology, as most modern cars on the market are currently equipped with it. It’s a very safe piece of technology too, as you can easily do things without taking your eye off the road thanks to the voice command feature.

Let us know which one you use and which one do you prefer?