Tesla cars are still void of Apple CarPlay, and the wait is somehow finally going to end now for Tesla owners. However, neither Tesla nor Apple has to do anything with it. A keen developer who was able to get CarPlay on his Tesla Model 3 has recently posted a workaround CarPlay version on GitHub.
Tesla car owners have been requesting the automotive company to bring in the Apple CarPlay to its cars. However, it is no secret that Elon Musk has repeatedly come out with statements refuting any possibility of getting CarPlay in its automotive.
Tesla continued resistance and indifference to adding CarPlay to its models is wide known. Moreover, there is no information from anyone from the company that gives any hint they even might be thinking to get CarPlay into their fleet. Earlier this year, developer Michal Gapiński shared his successful attempt at adding Apple CarPlay to his Tesla Model 3.
Apple CarPlay Workaround
Polish Developer Michal Gapiński did a great job coming up with his long project to add CarPlay to Tesla. He has been working for a long time on the project and finally came to a point where everyone can try the CarPlay workaround.
CarPlay workaround posted by Gapiński is based on Raspberry Pi, a custom version of android. He has been able to successfully integrate steering controls too and came to a stage where many features are available with the workaround.
Gapiński’s version of CarPlay workaround is built to work with the help of a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable, modem, an ethernet cable, and Wi-Fi. In January, he mentioned his coding success with the workaround and even mentioned how he wanted to have more access to do more with it.
Running Android apps on my Tesla is something I am intending to do before @Tesla adds a real app store. @elonmusk just give us more power to play with, we’ve already shown that sky is the limit in terms of the Tesla Browser. Real 3rd party apps should come next
— Michał Gapiński (@mikegapinski) January 18, 2022
“Running Android apps on my Tesla is something I am intending to do before @Tesla adds a real app store. @elonmusk just give us more power to play with, we’ve already shown that sky is the limit in terms of the Tesla Browser. Real 3rd party apps should come next”.
Later in the following months, he regularly posted about the growing success of the software. His tweets about the hands-on experience with software running on his Tesla soon become viral on social media. The recent updates are proof of how long he has come with the software before rolling out the polished version on GitHub.
How To Get Apple CarPlay On Tesla
Gapiński has added a complete coding workaround to get access to Apple CarPlay in Tesla cars. To get CarPlay, Tesla users would need access to Raspberry Pi running Linux, among other things. Following are the full suite hardware requirements to run CarPlay along with optional gear he insists can improve the whole system:
- Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.
- Ethernet cable.
- Modem.
- Radiators for cooling off the Raspberry Pi.
- Housing for Raspberry Pi to manage cables inside the center console.
- CarlinKit CPC200.
The software suite allows the users to display the Apple CarPlay interface using Raspberry Pi and the access point of the Wi-Fi. Moreover, Tesla owners would also be able to use Apple Music, UI, Maps, and steering wheel controls. The whole setup would allow the users to enjoy a complete experience of CarPlay on their Tesla car’s screens without the official support or downloads.
Why Tesla Does Not Add CarPlay?
Elon Musk has been vocal about his take on how he would not allow Apple to charge whopping fees for integrating Apple CarPlay in Tesla cars. Recently he commented on how he is not okay with Apple taking as much as 30% fees from developers and feels it is like putting up a 30% tax on the internet. He took to Twitter to add that the fee is about 10% times higher than it should be.
Literally 10 times higher than it should be
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 3, 2022
The love and hate relationship of Tesla with Apple do not end here. Musk has repeatedly criticized the company in the past, as well. He has termed Apple to be like a walled garden. Moreover, the controversy over employee theft is another reason that adds to the stir between Tesla and Apple.
The long history of the employee clashes dates back to 2015, when Musk even called Apple to be the “Tesla graveyard”. Musk commented on the situation in an interview saying, if you do not make it at Tesla, you should go and work at Apple. He said in an interview in 2015 with Handelsblatt for a German newspaper:
“Important engineers? They have hired people we’ve fired. We always jokingly call Apple the “Tesla Graveyard.” If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding.”
This was not only comment at Apple but more of a satire on the news of Apple working on its first EV Apple Car back in 2015. However, the stiffness first originated around the same time, and it is still going strong from both sides.
What To Expect In Future?
Neither Tesla nor Elon Musk is budging on the numerous requests of Tesla buyers to introduce Apple CarPlay in Tesla cars. There is no official statement that there would be any future possibility of such support or not.
Continuous work on the software has made this version successful, and therefore there are hopes that an easier version too would come out in the future. Aftermarket upgrades might offer significant success in the field using plug & play solutions for Apple CarPlay.
Tesla would not be making an effort to bring Apple CarPlay support, but they have done so for Spotify integration in the past. Code founds on the operating system of Tesla do hints that there was going to be Apple integration into Tesla cars. However, this never happened.
Michal Gapiński, a polish developer, has solved the problem for many Tesla owners longing to connect their iPhones seamlessly. Musk definitely has a lot on his plate as of now, with the purchase of Twitter, among other crucial things. Let’s wait and see how people respond to the new version of CarPlay access.
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