Tesla Apple CarPlay Hack Updated to Work With Any Tesla Model

by

Polish developer Michał Gapiński has released a new and improved version of his "Tesla Android Project" which brings Apple's CarPlay experience to more Tesla vehicles than ever before.

tesla carplay hack
According to Gapiński, version 2022.25.1 provides "100% functional ‌CarPlay‌ integration for any Tesla," and comes with several new features and bug fixes.

The project now supports DRM video playback so that apps like Netflix function normally, an orientation lock so that apps like Apple Music automatically launch in landscape mode, and the hack now uses Android 12.1 for better stability and performance.

Gapiński's CarPlay workaround involves using a Rasberry Pi with an LTE modem and a Wi-Fi access point, running a custom Android-based firmware, as well as a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable and Ethernet cable.

The in-car browser is used to connect to the Rasberry Pi and display the ‌‌‌CarPlay‌‌‌ interface on the Tesla's screen, where Apple apps including Maps and ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ function as expected. The system works while driving, and can also be controlled with the media buttons on the Tesla's steering wheel.


Despite the preponderance of ‌‌CarPlay‌‌ on many electric cars, Tesla does not offer official support. Hints in 2020 that Tesla was planning to support Apple Music never came to fruition, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk doesn't respond to requests on Twitter for the company to bring ‌‌CarPlay‌‌ to its vehicles, despite it being one of the most-requested features among Tesla owners.

At the Worldwide Developers Conference 2022, Apple previewed the "next generation" of ‌CarPlay‌ for compatible vehicles. The next-gen ‌CarPlay‌ experience will support multiple displays within a vehicle, offer built-in climate controls for adjusting the temperature of the A/C or heat within the ‌CarPlay‌ interface, and more.

Apple said the first vehicles to support the new ‌CarPlay‌ experience will be announced in late 2023, with committed automakers including Ford, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche, and more.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tag: Tesla
Related Forum: HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Read Full Article • 111 comments
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
Read Full Article • 65 comments
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Read Full Article • 27 comments
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
Read Full Article • 122 comments
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
Read Full Article • 101 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Read Full Article
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Read Full Article • 122 comments

Top Rated Comments

Jeaz Avatar
Jeaz
37 months ago
The lack of CarPlay, especially the future version of it, is probably the main reason I'm not looking at Tesla when replacing my current EV next year. Polestar, BMW or Mustang are all more likely candidates.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6787872 Avatar
6787872
37 months ago

Nope. The Tesla UI is miles better than CarPlay. It's really not even close.

What all you Apple stans don't realize is that vehicle manufacturers are only using CarPlay as a temporary measure. They are going to eventually want full control of the in-car experience so it can be monetized, especially once self-driving becomes a real thing.

You'll be buying things like video content, games and apps through their own stores. The built-in maps will have location-based advertising. They won't want Apple to make $ off their passengers. Elon already realized this.

The new CarPlay they just revealed looks all nice and shiny but manufacturers are soon going to find out that it's tough selling a $70K vehicle when it has the same UI look & feel as a $30K car. Also good luck waiting for new features for your vehicle because you'll only get them when Apple brings them to every other vehicle via CarPlay. Where a company like Tesla or Rivian can push new features whenever they want via OTA updates.
ironic use of the word 'stan' coming from a tesla 'stan' lmao.

the tesla UI is horrific. the christmas update should be all the evidence you need. literally even elon admitted it. tesla navigation is as functional (and looks like) a 2004 era tomtom. no advanced features or routing capabilities. spotify is bug ridden and nowhere near feature parity with native.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
dannys1
37 months ago
It's a shame Elon is such a dick, I'd love native CarPlay in my care, the Tesla system is rubbish.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
profets Avatar
profets
37 months ago
I get the allure of CarPlay and AA, I really do, but I think we need to remember why they were first made: to help bring some control to your phone / media in vehicles that otherwise have terrible infotainment systems.

Tesla building their own cars with 15-17” displays and full touch UIs are different than traditional vehicles in that regard. They have a full interface that they update consistently.

I think in a way, what Tesla is doing, is similar to what Apple would do. ‘This is our product, we’re designing the interface, and we don’t want other companies having any control over it.’

I’m not saying CarPlay shouldn’t exist or that Tesla should never allow it. Maybe it could operate as a window within the Tesla UI somewhere? I dunno. But the original goal of CarPlay wasn’t for Teslas with 15-17” screens. And even the new CarPlay that takes over the entire vehicle / large displays, no chance Tesla is going to give up their entire UI to Apple.

Having driven a Tesla for some time, what I think I’d prefer (personal opinion), is a small App Store of sorts for media apps. That’s what I find I miss the most - Music, podcasts apps, etc.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tubamajuba Avatar
Tubamajuba
37 months ago

The new CarPlay they just revealed looks all nice and shiny but manufacturers are soon going to find out that it's tough selling a $70K vehicle when it has the same UI look & feel as a $30K car.
I seriously doubt anyone cares if dashboard UI looks the same on cars with different prices. Who is really going to look at a car and think, "This has the same screen as a cheaper car so I'm not buying it"? It's far more likely that someone would look at a really expensive car and wonder why it doesn't support CarPlay or Android Auto when cheaper cars already do.

Furthermore, you're getting the same UI and OS no matter how much or how little you spend on a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, Android phone, etc. That's never been an issue even though UI is way more important on a device that is singlehandedly a computing device as opposed to a car that does many other things than just being a computer.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
Apple Knowledge Navigator
37 months ago
Hackintosh: Tesla Edition
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments