Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay is Apple's system for using an iPhone through the car. When the phone is connected, the car's display shows a simplified set of iPhone apps, and you control them with the touchscreen, touchpad, controller, steering-wheel buttons or Siri voice commands. CarPlay works only with an iPhone; Android phones use Android Auto instead.

How it works in the car

The apps run on the iPhone, and the car's head unit only shows them and passes on your inputs, so navigation, music and messages are as up to date as the phone. Apple Maps, Apple Music, Phone and Messages are available, and many third-party apps such as Google Maps, Waze and Spotify also run on the CarPlay screen. Siri reads incoming messages aloud and lets you reply by voice, which keeps your hands on the wheel.

Wired or wireless connection

Older Mercedes-Benz systems connect the iPhone with a USB cable, and only the USB port marked with the smartphone integration symbol supports CarPlay. Many newer systems can also connect without a cable, over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Which option your car has depends on the head unit, so check the car's settings or equipment list.

CarPlay in Mercedes-Benz cars

Mercedes-Benz began offering CarPlay on selected 2016 model-year cars as part of smartphone integration, which on many models was an option rather than standard equipment. If the head unit supports CarPlay but the function was not ordered, it can often be activated later on the factory screen, without an extra box behind the dash. Whether that is possible depends on the head unit generation, which follows the chassis code and model year, so check your exact car, ideally by VIN, before ordering.