Tesla Inc. is developing support for Apple Inc.’s CarPlay system in its vehicles, according to people with knowledge of the matter, working to add one of the features most highly requested by customers.
The carmaker has started testing the capability internally, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the effort is still private. The CarPlay platform — long supported by other automakers — shows users a version of the iPhone’s software that is optimized for vehicle infotainment systems. It’s considered a must-have option by many drivers.
Adding CarPlay would mark a stunning reversal for Tesla and Chief Executive Elon Musk, who long ignored pleas to implement the popular feature. Musk has criticized Apple for years, particularly its App Store policies, and was angered by the company’s poaching of his engineers when it set out to build its own car.
Tesla has discussed a rollout of CarPlay in the coming months, but a plan hasn’t been finalized and a release could come later, the people said. The company is also known to kill or delay new features even after months or years of work.
Tesla didn’t respond to requests for comment. A representative for Apple declined to comment.
Tesla cars rely on an in-house infotainment system, which has its own apps and features like messaging and web browsing. The company had long opposed giving Apple more access to Tesla customers — especially when the iPhone maker was angling to become a rival in electric vehicles.
But the landscape has changed. Apple bowed out of the EV race in 2024 by canceling its Titan initiative, and Musk now relies on Apple as a critical partner for distributing the X social networking app and Grok AI service. Tesla sales also have softened, with some buyers citing the lack of CarPlay support as a reason for not choosing the company’s cars.
About a third of buyers said that not having CarPlay or the Android equivalent would be a deal-breaker in their decisions, according to a 2024 study from McKinsey & Co. CarPlay, which launched in 2014, includes Apple’s own Messages, Music and Maps apps, in addition to the Siri voice assistant. It also supports third-party apps such as Google Maps and Spotify.
Tesla plans to feature CarPlay within a window inside its broader interface, the people said. That means the Apple software won’t fully replace the Tesla operating system as it does in many other vehicles.
CarPlay also won’t tap into Tesla features like FSD, or full self-driving mode. Drivers will need to rely on Tesla’s own navigation app for that.
Tesla plans to use the standard version of CarPlay rather than the newer Ultra iteration seen in some Aston Martins and other vehicles, which provides control over instrument clusters, seats and climate functions. Apple redesigned the standard CarPlay as part of iOS 26, adding features like widgets for viewing weather and appointments.
Users of iPhones can enable CarPlay either by plugging their device into a vehicle via a USB cord or, in newer cars, pairing it wirelessly. Tesla plans to support the wireless version, allowing drivers to connect without cables.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google offers a CarPlay competitor called Android Auto for devices running its operating system. But Tesla isn’t actively developing support for it.
Getting CarPlay in Tesla cars, which lead the U.S. EV market, would be a major win for Apple as it seeks to keep users within its product ecosystem. Some other automakers, including General Motors Co., have recently said they will remove CarPlay from their vehicles in order to focus on homegrown infotainment solutions.
CarPlay Ultra — the higher-end version of the software — has also struggled to gain traction. In a reversal from initial public commitments a few years ago, automakers such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz have said they don’t currently plan to offer CarPlay Ultra support.
Gurman and Ludlow write for Bloomberg.
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