When driving, you must keep your attention on the road, but it also happens that sometimes you’ll want to use apps on your smartphone for navigation or to listen to music.
It’s important that you use the right tool when doing this. This is especially important considering that distracted driving now accounts for more than 25% of motor vehicle crash fatalities.
The good news is, both Apple and Google are doing their part to provide drivers with a tool they can use to limit distractions when driving. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow you to connect your phone to your car’s infotainment system, giving you a hands-free experience when using the phone while also keeping your attention on the road.
What Exactly are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Both CarPlay and Android Auto are mobile apps that you can either install on your car’s infotainment system or run on mobile devices, like a smartphone, to connect the two.
When using these apps, you can play music or get notifications through your car’s speakers, and any visual content is displayed on the car’s infotainment system display.
Android Auto is owned by Google, and its interface mirrors the features of an Android device in a compatible infotainment system. Users can interact with their phones without having to take their hands, or eyes, off the road. Although Google encourages the use of the Google voice command system, Google Assistant, it’s still possible to use the touchscreen and button controls.
Today, Android Auto is compatible with Android phones or devices running Android 5 and above. Keep in mind, though, that Android 6 is recommended for seamless connectivity.
CarPlay, owned by Apple, is similar to Android Auto, in that it enables your car’s infotainment unit to be both the display and controller of your smartphone. With Apple’s system, users can control their phone using Apple’s voice control, Siri, or the car’s buttons, knobs, and touchscreen.
Like Android Auto, CarPlay’s purpose is to allow for distraction-free driving while also giving users access to the apps and music on their phone. Unlike Android Auto, however, there is no need to download a special app to the iPhone — it’s available by default. You should, however, remember that your car’s audio system needs to support CarPlay for it to work.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Now that you know what Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are, let’s look at a more detailed, head-to-head comparison to see how the platforms compare.
User Interface
When it comes to the user interfaces, your decision will most likely be influenced by what type of device you use. So, if you’re an Android user, Android Auto will probably be your best bet. Likewise, if you use an iPhone, you’ll probably need to use CarPlay.
However, if we forget about this for a moment, which has the best user interface?
When it comes to design, CarPlay displays all apps and features as large icons on a scrollable screen. The interface is simple and easy to use, which makes it difficult to find fault with the CarPlay interface.
By contrast, Android Auto has a slightly different way of organizing its home screen. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll find a menu bar with different shortcuts for various functions.
Ultimately, Apple CarPlay has a better interface compared to Android Auto, but not by much. Keep in mind, though, that both receive continuous updates to improve their user interfaces, other features, and the user experience.
Navigation
Before the release of iOS 12, Apple users who used CarPlay had to be content with using only Apple Maps for navigation, as this was the default app. In short, this meant CarPlay didn’t support any other navigational apps, like Google Maps or Waze.
Now, CarPlay supports these, and you can install them and opt out of the default Apple Maps app. To use Google Maps on CarPlay, simply download the app from the App Store and launch it by pressing the icon on the CarPlay display.
Google Maps is the default navigation option for Android Auto. This isn’t a bad thing, since Google Maps is still one of the best navigation apps out there. It offers various user-friendly features like clear directions, a simple interface, and many more. As a result, it’s better than many other navigational apps.
However, if you don’t like Google Maps or prefer not to use it, Android Auto fully supports third-party navigation acts like Waze and Sygic.
So, when it comes to navigation, Android Auto nudges ahead of Apple’s CarPlay. This is simply because it offers better functionality and customization options, compared to Apple’s CarPlay, even though both systems now support third-party navigation apps.
Music
Apart from navigation and receiving phone calls or messages, music and audio are probably some of the most essential features of any car’s infotainment system. Because of this, both platforms must handle playing music and audio easily and effortlessly. Fortunately, they do.
Both Android Auto and CarPlay have built-in music apps, but they also support third-party apps, if you’d prefer to listen with those.
As such, with CarPlay, you can use the default music app, or you can use apps like Spotify, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, and others. In addition, as of the iOS 13 update, Siri now works with third-party music apps. This, ultimately, makes it easier to use.
Likewise, with Android Auto, you’ll be able to use the default music app, Google Play Music. Like CarPlay, it also supports third-party music, including Amazon Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music.
Calls & Messaging
When it comes to calls and messaging, both CarPlay and Android Auto enable users to control these features using voice commands. On both platforms, messages are delivered through the car’s speakers.
This enables you to receive messages or answer calls safely while keeping your attention on the road. Although both systems work flawlessly with calls, there are some differences between them when it comes to messaging.
With CarPlay, you can only use WhatsApp and the native messaging app. This means that if you use other messaging platforms, such as Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Skype, or Slack, you won’t be able to use them with CarPlay. When you receive a message through one of these apps, you’ll have to pick up your phone and read the message on the screen, defeating the purpose of a hands-free system.
Unlike CarPlay, Android Auto supports a variety of messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Skype, WeChat, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Hangouts, and many other third-party services. This makes Android Auto more convenient if you’re used to using messaging apps other than WhatsApp and the native messaging app.
If we had to choose one of these platforms based on calls and messaging, we’d go with Android Auto.
Apps
Apple’s CarPlay works with a small set of iOS apps, but these apps generally fall into the navigation, audio, or messaging categories, so you’ll be able to use apps like Spotify and Apple Music to listen to music and listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and news apps.
As mentioned above, third-party navigation apps also work on CarPlay now, if you prefer not to use the default Apple Maps. You’ll also be able to use WhatsApp or the native messaging app to send and receive messages.
Because these apps are so popular, chances are that all those compatible with CarPlay are already installed on your phone right now.
Like CarPlay, Android Auto has compatible apps that fall in the same general categories of navigation, music, and messaging. Any compatible apps that you have on your Android device will show up on the display when you use Android Auto.
One thing to keep in mind is that CarPlay supports far fewer apps than Android Auto does. CarPlay supports about 30, while Android Auto supports more than 120, including Google and third-party apps.
Although both systems support all the essential apps you’ll likely need, if you use Android Auto, you’ll have a wider choice of compatible apps.
Siri vs Google Assistant
Considering that these platforms share a common aim, keeping your eyes on the road while still enabling you to use your phone, voice control is an essential feature. It allows you to enter destinations into the navigation system, change the radio channel, or make a phone call using voice commands.
To control the Android Auto interface, including its navigation system and third-party apps, you can use the “Okay, Google” voice command. This is like Apple’s solution, which uses the “Hey, Siri” command. You’ll use these commands to navigate the systems.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that while both systems work well, they can misunderstand what you’re saying from time to time. Fortunately, you’ll always be able to use the manual controls on your infotainment system to control them.
Although both CarPlay and Android Auto do a good job of voice control, if we had to pick one, we’d go with Android Auto’s Google Assistant. This is simply because it’s more accurate compared to Apple’s Siri.
Conclusion and Recommendation
So, CarPlay versus Android Auto, which is better? This isn’t a simple question to answer, and it depends on a variety of things.
For one, it depends on which phone and ecosystem you’re currently using. For example, if you use an Android phone and an Android tablet, Android Auto may be your best option. Likewise, if you use an iPhone or iPad, CarPlay should be the one to go for.
In simple terms, the mobile device you use will, to a large extent, dictate your choice between Android Auto or CarPlay, but if it’s time to get a new phone, it’s time to reconsider which one you’d prefer.
The second thing you need to look at is compatibility, that is, are your phone and car’s audio system compatible with these platforms? If one is but the other isn’t, the choice is easy.
The next thing you should consider is which app is easiest to set up. Fortunately, both are reasonably straightforward, and you likely won’t have problems with either of them.
If, by now, you still haven’t decided, think about the things we’ve dealt with in this review.
- CarPlay trumps Android Auto, when it comes to the user interface.
- When it comes to navigation, Android Auto is better than CarPlay, simply because it offers better functionality and customization options.
- Both systems offer similar features for music and audio, and both make it possible to use their native music app or third-party apps, like Spotify and Amazon Music.
- When it comes to messaging, Android Auto seems to be better, simply because it allows for using more messaging apps. In contrast, CarPlay only works with the native messaging app and WhatsApp.
- Android Auto has a larger selection of apps that work with the system.
- Although both platforms do a good job of voice control, Google Assistant nudges ahead of Siri, simply because it’s more accurate.
With all of this in mind, you’ll be able to make your decision. If you want to know more about these platforms, or other ways to optimize every aspect of your wireless life, visit our website or contact us for more information.
