The best apps for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

CarPlay only runs apps Apple has approved for driving, which is a much shorter list than the App Store. That is deliberate — and it means the apps that do make it are worth knowing about.

Here are the ones that genuinely earn their place, and a note on what CarPlay will not do no matter what you install.

Navigation

Google Maps — the default choice for most people. Best traffic data in Europe, best business listings, and lane guidance that is genuinely useful on unfamiliar motorway junctions.

Waze — better than Google Maps specifically for road hazards, police and sudden congestion, because it is crowd-sourced in real time. Worse for anything else. Many drivers run Waze on the commute and Google Maps everywhere else.

Apple Maps — much improved and now genuinely competitive in Western Europe. Its advantage is integration: Siri understands it best, and it appears in the instrument cluster most reliably.

TomTom AmiGO — free, offline-capable, and the best option if you drive in areas with poor mobile coverage.

Music and audio

Spotify — the most complete CarPlay implementation of any music app. Offline playlists work properly, which matters on rural routes.

Apple Music — deepest Siri integration. "Play something I have not heard in a while" actually works.

YouTube Music — worth it if you already pay for YouTube Premium, since it comes included.

Pocket Casts — the best podcast app on CarPlay. Better queue management than Apple Podcasts and reliable playback resume.

TuneIn Radio — for live radio, including stations from home if you drive abroad.

Practical extras

ABRP (A Better Routeplanner) — essential if you drive an EV. Plans charging stops around your actual battery and car model, and works on CarPlay.

PARK NOW / EasyPark — start and stop street parking from the car screen instead of hunting for the app on your phone.

WhatsApp — messages read aloud, replies dictated. It never displays message text while moving, which is the correct behaviour.

What CarPlay will not do

Worth being clear, because it comes up constantly.

No video. YouTube, Netflix and everything like it are blocked. Apple does not permit video playback on the CarPlay interface, and no app or setting changes that.

No web browsing. No browser exists for CarPlay.

No games, no social media feeds. Same reason.

If video specifically is what you want, that requires an Android-based AI Box rather than a CarPlay module — a different product with a different interface. We would say plainly: use video only when parked, and check what your country's road traffic law permits.

A note on retrofitted CarPlay

If you reached CarPlay through a retrofit module rather than from the factory, every app above behaves identically. The module presents a standard CarPlay session to your phone — iOS does not know or care that the car is a 2010 BMW.

The only practical difference is screen size. On a 6.5-inch factory display the CarPlay grid shows fewer icons per page than on a modern 10-inch screen. Everything still works; you scroll slightly more.

Getting CarPlay in the first place

If your car does not have CarPlay yet, start by identifying your infotainment system — that decides which module fits.

Use the vehicle check, read the 3-step guide, or send your VIN to info@oemcarplay.com. Free, usually answered within 30 minutes.