Download Best CarPlay Apps 2021/2022

Noah Jayden
CarplayHacks
Published in
10 min readDec 22, 2020

Apple CarPlay apps or CarPlay compatible apps are referred to the apps, which are already installed on your iPhone, and can be used on Apple CarPlay, once your phone is connected to the infotainment system of your car. So that you don’t need to worry about using your phone while driving, as the apps appear in large size on your screen and you can use these apps with voice commands or using less number of screen touches.

Basically CarPlay app list contains Communication, Navigation and Entertainment apps. Let’s discuss about CarPlay apps more comprehensively.

Contents :

Download Best CarPlay Apps in 2020

How to download CarPlay Apps

List of non-default CarPlay Apps

How to get any desired app on CarPlay

FAQ related to CarPlay Apps

Full CarPlay App List by 2020

Conclusion

Download Best Apple CarPlay apps in 2020

Some CarPlay apps are trending in 2020 among CarPlay lovers. The full list of CarPlay compatible apps are given below for your reference.

Let’s discuss more on the best CarPlay Apps in 2020.

Apple’s CarPlay Apps (Default apps on your phone)

Phone

Phone app helps users to send and receive calls without touching the phone while driving. You can get the assistance of Siri in order to make calls for relevant contacts. You do not have to bother about looking at your contact list or dial screen as Siri will assist you here. Just say “Call <Contact Name>”, and everything will be handled by Siri on behalf of you.

Messages

Same way as making phone calls, you can send text messages to relevant contacts with the aid of Siri. What you just have to do is ask Siri to find the contact and then read the message. Then that voice message will be converted to text and sent to the relevant person. Moreover you can get the assistance of Siri to read received messages if needed.

Music

Apple music app is another commonly used app for entertainment and it supports Album Art from iOS 13 update. Also in iOS 14 update, the whole CarPlay screen is divided into parts and one part shows you the “Now Playing” item. So that you can easily navigate among the playlists from the dashboard. This will play songs on Your iTunes and it plays your playlists too.

Podcasts

You may listen to thousands of podcasts through podcasts app. With Podcasts you may subscribe for different categories such as health, education, kids and family, comedy, news and politics, sports and recreation, music etc and enjoy as long as the journey takes you on the road.

Music Apps

YouTube Music

YouTube Music is Google’s official music app. It replaced Google Play Music app and now serves millions of music contents. It has a free version and a premium version and in the context of CaPlay, the premium version is the most suitable one as it supports background playback and downloading options. Read more on YouTube Music CarPlay app. Download YouTube Music App .

Amazon Music

This is also a famous music app among CarPlay lovers. It provides Prime Stations too. Also it contains inbuilt voice commands so that you can simply use the app without involvement of your hands. Download Amazon Music App .Communication Apps

WhatsApp

WhatsApp also has enabled voice commands for texting, the facility of reading the chat history has been omitted from the app when it comes as a CarPlay App. Download WhatsApp .

Zoom

In 2020, Zoom app has become a high demanding app because of the covid 19 pandemic, most of the office work is shifted to homes. Many courses, live programs and meetings are held via zoom app. Since it has become available as a CarPlay app, it has given the opportunity to many people to get connected with others even while traveling. Download Zoom .

Navigation Apps

Google Maps

After enabling Google Maps as a CarPlay App, some people have shifted with Google Maps as their navigation partner. Download Google Maps .

Waze

Waze is also a widely used CarPlay app in 2020. The sensitive features like real time information about traffic congestion, EATs, accident alerts etc has affected making this app so popular among drivers as it supports to reduce traffic times. Also the Waze CarPlay app enables more features to its users like an option to share drive with others, listening to podcasts within the app ,etc. Download Waze .

TomTom GO Navigation

As a weekly updating navigation app which is customizable, TomTom GO Navigation too has become one of the best CarPlay apps. Though it comes as a free app, it asks for a subscription of $1.99/month or $12.99/year for the service of updating the app weekly. Download TomTom Go Navigation .

Podcasts

iHeartRadio

iHeart Radio app allows you to listen to hundreds of radio stations across the country. The app also lets you create your own personalized stations. You may listen to the most favorite stations quickly by saving prior to starting your journey. Download iHeart Radio .

Spotify

Spotify is a freemium music, podcast and video app which offers unlimited number of music downloads and streaming services to its users. Free version of this app contains advertisements and limited features. On the other hand the paid versions are free of apps and include more advanced features such as improved quality of streaming. CarPlay has included this Spotify so that you can entertain songs, podcasts and streaming while you are on the road. Download Spotify .

TuneIn

TuneIn Radio brings you more than 100,000 FM/AM radio stations to your iDevice. You may listen to songs, favorite programmes and live games including all latest NFL, NBA, NHL & NCAA games. TuneIn is also equipped with podcasts, news and other sports. This is a free app and now supports more than 50 car models including Tesla model S. Download TuneIn .

Overcast

Overcast is another popular podcast app in 2020. Smart speed is one of the reasons for its popularity. Also it offers world-class privacy. You can create custom playlists with this so that you can play them according to your driving mood. Download Overcast .

Pandora

If all the rest of the music apps such as Spotify and Apple music still keep you hungry of music, Pandora Music is something that you need to try. Pandora gives you a new personalized music experience allowing you to create stations as they fit into your moods or occasions. This app comes with a free 30 day trial period and comes at a monthly subscription fee thereafter. Download Pandora .

AudioBooks

Audible

Most of the people are accustomed to reading a book or an article while on the bus, train or on any kind of public transportation. But, if you are driving a car, you don’t have a choice. Browsing through the pages while driving will show you a definite way to end up in prison. Audible app on the other hand drives all these worries of car drivers. The app allows you to stay focused on the roads while listening to books or periodicals read by professionals. The app contains a huge variety of books and comes at a free trial for 30 days. Monthly subscriptions apply afterwards. Download Audible .

Audiobooks.com

This is another app which can be identified as one of the best CarPlay apps. You can browse thousands of best audiobooks and download them for listening while driving. Download Audiobooks.com App .

News Apps

NPR One

National Public Radio brings the latest news within the US and around the globe. This contains a huge range of topics such as politics, global issues, business etc. This also enables users to have news customized to their interests so that you can always get in touch with the latest news that covers your interested area. Download NPR One .

BBC Sounds

BBC Sounds allows you to listen to all BBC Radio stations. Also you can download preferred shows. Also you can set it to autoplay multiple episodes of programme serieses. Download BBC Sounds .

Sports Apps

MLB

If you’re a baseball fan, the MLB app is the app which brings you live updates of leagues. With the MLB CarPlay app, you can listen to game audio while driving. With the free version of the app, users can get some details about the games. But you have to subscribe to listen to the game Audio. Download MLB .

How to download CarPlay Apps?

Well, you don’t actually have to bother about adding apps to CarPlay. What you have to do is just to get your desired apps to your iPhone from Apple’s App Store. Once you connect your Phone with CarPlay, those apps will appear on CarPlay.

But the apps you download should be Apple CarPlay Compatible. Otherwise you have to go with some hacks like WheelPal app, in order to get any desired app on CarPlay.

Apps not available for CarPlay by default

Apple has become very selective when approving the CarPlay compatibility in apps. They have thoroughly paid their concern on safety. It is obvious that drivers have to keep their full focus on roads. So they cannot keep their eye and concentration on something else like videos, photos etc. Also drivers have to pay their full attention to driving. So some entertainment apps have become omitted by Apple from the Apple CarPlay App list.

Most famous apps which are not compatible with Apple CarPlay:

Video based apps like YouTube, Netflix, Videos, Video Players

FaceBook

Games

Viber, Skype

Photo Viewers

Web browsers

Twitter

Mail, Hangouts

But still, there are some situations like when the drivers have to stay on parkings, and when the drivers stop the car as they feel drowsy, etc. In these situations it’s better to have some visual based apps. Also most of the drivers know their responsibility and they can manage listening to sounds without focusing on videos, so that the other passengers can enjoy visuals. If someone is confident enough of that, there are methods as follows to get any desired app which is not available by default on CarPlay.

How to get any desired app on CarPlay

If you want to add any desired app on CarPlay, there are some hacks to fulfill that need. Still, to enable this facility, we have to escalate some limitations and restrictions declared by Apple. This process is called Jailbreaking and you need to jailbreak your phone for enjoying this feature.

If your phone is already a jailbroken one you can add apps to CarPlay by Downloading NGXPlay or CarBridge. Also you can go for a full solution like WheelPal app. This app guides you with all the steps to follow , no matter if your phone is already a jailbroken one or not.

FAQ related to CarPlay Apps

How to add apps to CarPlay ?

If a CarPlay Compatible app is not displayed on your CarPlay display, you can simply add them with the following steps.

  1. Open Settings in your iDevice
  2. Select General
  3. Find CarPlay
  4. Select your vehicle listed there
  5. Then you will see the CarPlay Menu and with the + button you can select the apps you want to add to CarPlay.

How to get CarPlay YouTube ? / How to get CarPlay Netflix ?/ How to add CarPlay FaceBook ?

Video streaming apps are not working with Apple CarPlay as we previously explained due to safety reasons. Still if you want to have YouTube, you have to jailbreak your iPhone and then you have to download NGXPlay. Then you can add any app including YouTube/Netflix/Facebook apps to CarPlay. This process has been simplified with the WheelPal app.

CarPlay App list [by 2020 November]

Apple Apps

Phone

Messages

Apple Maps

Music

Podcasts

Books

Calendar (added with iOS 13 update)

Communication Apps

Whatsapp

Telegram Messenger

Zoom (new)

Cisco Webex Meetings

Line

Navigation Apps

Google Maps ( iOS 13)

Waze (iOS 13)

TomTom GO Navigation(New)

2GIS

Roads by Porsche

NAVER Map

Sygic GPS Navigation and Maps

Entertainment Apps

Music Apps

Amazon Music

Google Play Music

YouTube Music

Digital Concert Hall

Deezer music

LiveXLive

Mixcloud

Spotify Stations

Tidal

VOX

Radio Apps

iHeartRadio

SiriusXM Radio

NPR One

TuneIn

CBS Radio

BBC Sounds

Clammr Radio

Dash Radio

Orange Radio

Radio Deejay

Radio Disney

Slacker Radio

Audiobooks

Audible

BookMate

Audiobooks

Free Audiobooks

Google Play Books

Kobo books

Libby

Scribd

Walmart Ebooks

Podcasts

iHeartRadio

Spotify

TuneIn

Downcast

Overcast

Pandora

Acast

Anchor

Stitcher

Breaker

Castro Podcast Player

Pocket Casts

News

NPR one

Newsflash

CBS Radio News

CNBC

Umano

Audm — NewYorker, Atlantic

Sports

MLB at BAT

NBC Sport Scores

NBA

NHL

Conclusion

CarPlay compatible apps are automatically added to CarPlay if they are installed on your iPhone. If not you have to add them manually with CarPlay settings.

Best CarPlay apps can be downloaded easily via Apple App Store.

Video streaming apps like Youtube, Netflix are restricted on CarPlay due to safety reasons. But still you can get them with the WheelPal app or by installing NGXPlay after jailbreaking your phone.

So hope you will fill up your CarPlay menu with the best CarPlay apps.

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