Vehicle manufacturers can no longer charge us hundreds to add GPS Sat Navs to our vehicles, Apple CarPlay is a great replacement...
Apple knew they were on to something when they introduced Apple CarPlay and so did the vehicle manufacturers.
Slow adoption to the technology has come about because car makers can now no longer charge us hundreds of pounds to add GPS Sat Nav’s to the vehicles, when one simple USB lead will do.
Certain car manufactuers now also charge you to activate Apple CarPlay service on the vehicle, so they can reclaim some of that money.
But the good news, is that Apple CarPlay is here to stay and the last WWDC in 2018, they have opened the doors up that little further so we should see a few more apps on the way, in the meantime here are my favourite for 2018.
The Top 9 Apple CarPlay Apps of 2018...
9. TuneIn Radio...
TuneInRadio has one of the largest selection of radio stations available and gives you the ability to stream real-time audio from your favourite stations all over the world.
There is a premium service with a monthly subscription, but the general app is all you need. I love this when I’m on our travels and I can listen to our local stations on road trips.
8. Overcast Podcast Player...
When I’m on a long trip there is nothing I ike more than listening to a few podcasts, its a great alternative to Apple’s native podcast player with Push Notifications, voice boost and a smart speed service.
Again, a premium service is available to take away the apps. But if you use it like me for the odd podcast, then the free versions is just as good.
7. Audible...
If you are an Amazon Prime member like me, then I like to get the most out of my monthly/yearly subscription. Audible, as you may have guessed is owned by Amazon and gives you access to on of the largest selections of audiobooks.
You can navigate chapter by chapter, download for offline use and even share clips with your family and friends.
6. Deezer...
If your on the Three Network you can get a free trial of Deezer for a number of months, after which they bill you from your PAYG credit or monthly contract. Its a great alternative to Spotify and Apple Music but I still prefer the S word!
Deezer gives you access to millions of tracks and the ability to make your own playlists, it also allows you to view the lyrics with the songs, although we don’t advise this if you are driving.
5. Podcast App...
The native App on iOS is great for keeping up to date with the latest podcasts, sync them across your Apple Devices and listen when you want.
This app, although built-in is by far the best podcast app you can use. It will automatically download the latest episodes whilst being concious about data and storage limits.
4. WhatsApp
Its hard to keep in touch when on the go, and quite a few people who I know use Whatsapp now. This CarPlay app replicates the messages functionality of Apple’s native app, it reads messages out and you can reply by dictation.
Strict rules prevent you from seeing any texts or touching the screen, so you have to rely on Siri to get the message spot on, good luck there!
3. Spotify...
I can’t get my head around Apple Music, I’ve spent hundreds on downloading music from iTunes over the years and burning CD’s onto my iPod. So I’m not yet willing to pay an extra tenner to Apple each month.
But I will pay for Spotify and love the way it interacts with me, suggests music and playlists with the option to download. I don’t even need to pay for it if I don’t want to, so long as I don’t mind the odd advert.
2. BBC iPlayer Radio...
In the UK we are blessed with what the BBC has to offer, yes we pay a TV licence but it must be good if they get to sell their content all over the world and every knows the BBC right?
So the BBC iPlayer Radio app is a great way of listening to Chris Evans breakfast show wherever you are, the app also allows Listen Later, Offline downloads and more. Great addition to the BBC app family.
1. Apple Maps...
WWDC 2018 gave way to other navigation apps coming to Apple CarPlay, on the horizon is Google Maps and Waze, but until they make it there isn’t much wrong with Apple’s native navigational app.
Easy to use and of course, integrates lovely with Siri. Clear and concise maps with traffic information and points of interest, which is why (at the moment) Apple aps is our number 1 Apple CarPlay App.
Disclaimer
Written just for the love of writing! We haven’t been paid to promote any of the Top 9! But we may get a small commission should you click on any of the links on this page.
