Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Apple
CarPlay is the new climate control system for modern drivers: few people would buy a new generation car without Apple’s in-car optimized experience.
The iPhone maker even has the numbers to prove it. The company says about 8 in 10 new-car buyers are willing to walk away if the manufacturer doesn’t offer CarPlay. That means CarPlay has become an incentive to choose a specific brand, which has some wondering why General Motors has taken the controversial approach of locking Apple’s system into its cars.
While Android Auto and CarPlay are competing products, they offer a similar experience, with nearly the same range of features available in the cars they are available in. Both focus on navigation, voice interaction, listening to music, and managing hands-free calls and messages.
However, the number of people switching from Android Auto to CarPlay seems to be higher than the other way around, mainly due to the large number of glitches affecting Google's software. As a result, I've seen a lot of people confused about which iPhone they should buy when they switch to CarPlay, since unlike the Google world, Apple's in-car experience is not offered as a standalone app.
CarPlay is built directly into iOS, so it receives updates as Apple releases new versions of the operating system.
The oldest iPhone that can run CarPlay is the iPhone 5. This is impressive considering that this smartphone was launched in September 2012, and while it no longer receives updates, it is still compatible with CarPlay. However, since the last update was launched in July 2019 as iOS 10.3.4, you won’t have access to the latest features.
All newer iPhone models can also run CarPlay, including the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. These are two iPhone models that are still incredibly popular, and the good news is that they're both compatible with Apple's optimized in-car experience.
The latest iPhone models obviously offer the full experience and come with all the features. However, one of the most important details is the connectivity options. Wired CarPlay uses a Lightning cable on all iPhones except the iPhone 15. The latest iPhone has moved to USB-C, ditching Apple’s proprietary connector.
The upcoming iPhone 16 series, scheduled to launch in September 2024, will also support CarPlay, with all new models supporting both wired and wireless connections. A USB-C connector will continue to be offered for wired connections.
Here's the complete list of iPhones that support CarPlay (Last updated August 2024):
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone X
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 plus
- The iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- The iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- The iPhone 5s
- The iPhone 5c
- The iPhone 5