Apple CarPlay is good, but it's too limited to be essential

Likely, you've heard of Apple CarPlay by now: It's the software that allows you to project a version — albeit limited — of your iPhone's iOS onto your car's in-dash screen. However, unless you have a brand-new car, you probably haven't had a chance to play with it. That's because very few cars sold before 2016 were offered with CarPlay.

Now that automakers are fully geared up and rolling out 2016 model year cars onto the streets, CarPlay is spreading further every day. Moreover, with a few months of CarPlay at our backs, carmakers have had a chance to respond with better systems of their own.

Does Apple's in-car system still deliver on its promise — to make in-car navigation and connectivity more consistent and convenient? And is it any better than an in-car system at keeping your eyes on the road? I've used CarPlay on at least a half-dozen cars at this point, and can answer these questions pretty definitively.

Before you can used CarPlay, you must first understand it. It's not a full in-car iOS designed to replace every feature of your car's infotainment system — it's in no way that robust. Instead, it was designed to add a quick, easy-to-understand screen into your dashboard that allows for quick access of your iPhone's best features, namely Siri, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Spotify and iBooks.

It won't allow you access to your car's settings — it's not programmed for that. But that means, for example, if you want to change the ambient lighting in your car, you'll have to access use your car's system and not CarPlay.

Another thing to be aware of is that all information and computing comes off your phone. Even if your car has its own built-in GPS, CarPlay cannot tap into it. All Apple Maps navigation and web searches will be done off your cell signal, which can be a drain on your monthly phone plan.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about getting started.

Obvs things first: In order to access CarPlay, your car (or aftermarket in-dash stereo head unit) will have to include the feature. You can find if your car is CarPlay-ready here. If it is, you'll need to plug your iPhone using your standard cable into one of the car's USB ports.

Apple has said it has enabled wireless CarPlay connectivity. However, no automaker offers it yet.

Activating CarPlay is different on each model of car. However, most should give you a visual prompt on the in-dash screen, offering to launch CarPlay. Once you select that, a familiar screen will appear on the display with eight apps: Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, Now Playing, Podcasts, Audiobooks and Spotify.

Source from Mashable.