With the arrival of smartphones, humanity has been able to communicate easier with others and receive assistance with certain tasks, such as navigation for road trips, however, that isn’t to say they come without a downside. While smartphones are a great device to use for information and entertainment, many drivers have begun using them while driving. “The Nation Safety Council reports that cell phone use with driving leads to 1.6 million crashes a year” (Texting and Driving Accident Statistics – Distracted Driving). Seeing this dilemma Apple developed a new feature for car stereos called CarPlay, so drivers attention is off their phones and back on the road. So let’s go over what Apple’s CarPlay feature provides consumers to stay safe and convenience them.
All that is required to activate CarPlay on your equipped stereo is connecting any generation 5 or newer iPhone by USB or WiFi. Once CarPlay initiates it will change the stereo layout similar to an iPhone complete with a home button, current time, and phone signal in the bottom left corner. CarPlay gives access to your phone, messages, media, and navigation apps directly on the screen or by using Siri. The phone app allows you and Siri to make or answer phone calls, view contacts, incoming calls, and listen to your voicemails. The Messages app works with Siri to read incoming texts, reply to text messages, or send a new message without taking the drivers hands off of the steering wheel.
The media and navigation section is where CarPlay certainly shows it’s versatility to drivers. The driver is able to play music through a multitude of apps such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, etc. Then there is, of course, Apple Music which allows access to the subscription and any saved music on the ios device. While stereos usually have a major upcharge for built-in navigation, CarPlay allows navigation through phone apps to display onto the stereo face. Users have the choice of using Maps, Google Maps, Waze, or Baidu as their navigator of choice.
With all of these wonderful features offered by CarPlay, it shows the ultimate copilot is within reach. Saving consumers from endless car payments with stereos offering thousand dollar features for a starting price of $499, so embrace your family ride and give it the luxury car upgrade at an affordable price.
Cite list:
“Texting and Driving Accident Statistics – Distracted Driving.” Edgarsnyder.com, Edgar Snyder & Associates, www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html.