Apple CarPlay: First look

Got more than eight CarPlay apps? The system will add additional apps to new home screens automatically. Here I'm tapping and dragging from the first to the second screen so I can see TuneIn.

CarPlay is integrated as an option the vehicle's native info-tainment system. You have a choice of which to use at any time.

Any CarPlay vehicle will already have the manufacturer's voice activation system along with a button to use it. This will work with CarPlay as well but it requires a press and hold; a simple press uses the native vehicle's system. All other knobs and dials for the entertainment system work with CarPlay as well; you can, for example, use the car's volume knob for Apple Music adjustments.

It's easy to search Apple Maps with a voice search or you can pull up prior destinations from your iPhone. Here I searched for Starbucks in New York City prior to a trip there.

Using Apple Maps, CarPlay provides turn-by-turn directions complete with audio prompts during the route for turns and navigation assistance. No, you can't use Google Maps with CarPlay.

Apple Music works very well with CarPlay because it's a simpler interface. If you want to stream audio such as Beats 1, you can do so, but of course that will use up data on your smartphone. Here I'm scanning through the Apple Music tracks that I've downloaded for offline playback.

While you can view messages in CarPlay, I prefer to have Siri read them aloud to me, which works effectively. There's no need to take your eyes off the road to send or receive text messages. Siri even reads out emoji.