- What exactly is Apple CarPlay and how does it work?
- Find out the difference with Android Auto and MirrorLink
- Which is the best?
Phones are now about so much more than just talking. With Apple CarPlay, MirrorLink and Android Auto, you can use many of your smartphone features safely while at the wheel.
The basic idea behind these three tools is to display the screen of your smartphone on the infotainment screen of your car. But, there are some differences between them.
What is Apple CarPlay?
Owners of the iPhone 5 or later will be able to access Apple CarPlay if their car has it. With some of the latest upmarket motors such as BMWs you can link to it via Bluetooth. But most drivers will have to plug their phone into the car’s USB socket.
It’s then a case of pressing a button and the familiar iPhone icons for features such as calls, text messages, music, podcasts and Apple Maps will appear on your in-car screen. You can then make phone calls, send and receive text messages through the car’s speakers and select your music, all with your hands and eyes on the road.
How does Apple CarPlay work?
Once your phone is linked to the car, you can use Siri voice control to operate your apps. But if you prefer, CarPlay also works with the touchscreen, steering wheel buttons and knobs of your car’s infotainment system.
Where CarPlay differs from an iPhone is that the interface has been redesigned to make it easier to use while you’re at the wheel.
CarPlay is also open to some other publishers so you can use the Spotify streaming app and navigation apps from Waze and Google. And you can personalise how your apps appear in CarPlay with the settings on your iPhone.
What is Android Auto?
Google is the other major player in smartphone operating systems and Android Auto is its rival to Apple CarPlay. To access it, you must have an Android phone running the 5.0 (Lollipop) operating system or later, and the car must be Android Auto compatible.
You will then have to download the Android Auto app on your phone. Once you’ve plugged your phone into the car’s USB socket your phone’s main apps will appear on the car’s screen, just like with CarPlay. You can then control them either through the car’s touch screen, steering wheel buttons or with voice control.
As with CarPlay, you don’t just have access to Google’s apps. An increasing number are being made available, including Skype, WhatsApp and various podcast apps.
As Android Auto was designed with driver safety in mind, the interface is simple to minimise distraction. This means that with some apps such as Spotify, the number of albums you can see is limited.
What is MirrorLink?
This is the third option if you want to access the apps on your phone with the minimum fuss. MirrorLink was started by phone maker Nokia and then taken over and developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC).
CCC is a group of car makers and technology companies who have come together to develop car drivers’ access to their smartphones. Members include the Volkswagen Group, Renault, Mercedes-Benz and Honda plus Apple, Google, Samsung and HTC.
The CCC’s aim is for a system that works with as many smartphone operating systems as possible. MirrorLink is available in millions of cars, with its makers claiming it as the industry leader. And like its rivals, it operates by linking the smartphone to the car’s screen.
MirrorLink works with Apple and Android smartphones as well as handsets that use the now discontinued Symbian operating system. This includes models from HTC, Samsung and LG.
Unlike the other two, MirrorLink is what’s called open source. This makes it easier for developers to come up with MirrorLink compatible apps. And as long as the apps meet CCC’s standards, drivers can download them.
Why these systems are useful?
Unless you’re a serial car buyer, you probably upgrade your phone more frequently than you change your car. And cars take a long time to develop, which is at odds with the fast-moving world of smartphone technology.
Considering these factors, car makers have worked with mobile phone operating system developers to ensure cars keep up the pace with smartphones. One way of doing this is to develop systems that enable cars to work more closely with phones.
For the driver, the result is less time at the wheel getting frustrated with using clunky out of date car manufacturer-based systems.
Which is best?
First thing’s first: it’s worth remembering that all these systems rely on your mobile phone’s data connection. So if you’re going to use apps for things like navigation you need to have a healthy data package within your mobile phone contract.
Obviously, if you have an iPhone, Apple CarPlay will look familiar and probably fit in with your lifestyle. And it’s the same story with Android Auto if your phone uses the Android operating system.
The advantage with MirrorLink is it has more compatible apps. And when these are on the screen in your car, the icons are bigger and clearer than its two rivals.
This is a system designed primarily by car makers rather than something that’s been adapted from a phone for use in a car. The icons are purposefully made big to limit the number you can use with the aim to make it less distracting whilst driving.
Which cars have which systems?
It’s not unusual to find all three systems on the latest cars. MirrorLink is fitted to all the cars of its member companies which includes BMW, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen Group cars.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto aren’t fitted to all cars but they’re on many models from 2016 onwards, and the number is growing.
It’s worth remembering that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are often an optional extra so when buying a car, check whether they’re included in your purchase.
See also:
Our customers say
