Before we head into the nitty-gritty details of how Apple’s CarPlay works, let’s take a look at the basics first. For example, What is CarPlay?
Put simply, CarPlay is a vehicle infotainment system that allows you to connect your phone to the car’s display. Through that, you can use most of your apps like Spotify, Navigation, and so much more.
However, this brings an important question to mind: how does CarPlay connect to the internet? After all, most of these apps, if not all, depend on the internet to function and provide the necessary services.
Well, it turns out the answer is much simpler than you think, and we’ll share it with you today. Plus, we’ll let you in on a few tips! Let’s start!
How to Connect CarPlay to the Internet
Apparently, the only way to connect your CarPlay to the internet is by connecting it to your phone! Considering that this is a feature that comes with your iPhone, it’s not really surprising.
Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1: Check The CarPlay Compatibility
While we know how excited you are to use CarPlay, ensuring your car and phone are compatible to use the feature is crucial.
For iPhones, you can use an iPhone 5 or newer. Anything older than that won’t work for you. Moreover, don’t forget that you can’t use an iPod, iPad, or Macbook as this program is designed mainly for your iPhone.
When it comes to cars, though, you can visit this page to help you out. It contains all the models that Apple deemed compatible with its features.
Step 2: Prepare Your Device
After you’ve made sure that everything works fine, you can go ahead and prepare your iPhone.
The first step you want to take here is to upgrade your IOS to guarantee that your device is up to date. You can do this by following the steps below:
- Head to “Settings”
- Tap on “General”
- Select “Software Update”
- Choose “Download and Install”
Once that’s over, you can move to the next step.
Step 3: Connect CarPlay to the Internet
Finally, it’s time to connect your car to your phone—and to the internet—and enjoy the many benefits CarPlay offers. You can do this in one of three ways.
Yet, regardless of your choice, you must first start your car, make sure the infotainment screen is on, and activate Siri!
A. Wired
Some car models only sport a wired connection between your phone and the car. In this case, use the lightning cable to plug your phone into the USB port. This port usually has the smartphone icon on top of it or the CarPlay icon.
B. Wireless
If your car supports wireless connection only, ensure that the stereo is in Bluetooth or wireless mode, then hold down the voice command button on the steering wheel.
After that, open your phone, head to “Settings,” and turn the Wi-Fi on. Once done, select the CarPlay network.
Finally, head back to “Settings,” go to “General,” pick “CarPlay,” and choose your car from there.
C. Wired and Wirelessly
Oddly enough, some car models support both wireless and wired connections. If your car is one of those models, using an iPhone cable for CarPlay will allow you to connect the car and phone.
How Much Data Does CarPlay Consume
Fortunately, using CarPlay doesn’t cost you any extra data! It’s generally the same amount, which varies from individual to individual, but instead of using your phone to consume it, you use CarPlay.
If you want to save up on your cellular data while traveling, consider the following tips:
- Download offline maps while you’re connected to your home’s Wi-Fi network
- Avoid data-intensive apps like video streaming and social media
- If you really want to watch something, either download it at home or watch it on a low quality
- Download your favorite music and podcasts
To Sum Up
So, again, how does CarPlay connect to the internet? It’s through your phone!
Once you set up CarPlay on your car, it connects to the internet via your cellular data. After that, everything you use, if it needs internet, consumes from your data plan.
Thankfully, you can avoid burning up your plan by downloading whatever you need before starting the trip.
Picture Courtesy: https://unsplash.com/
