How to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your car

: June 7, 2024
: Apple

Table of Contents

How to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your car

How to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your car

Learn how to connect your device to your car stereo.

Connect using CarPlay

Available on select cars, CarPlay is a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car. CarPlay takes the things you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them right on your car’s built-in display.

First, make sure that your country or region supports CarPlay and that your car supports CarPlay.

If your car supports CarPlay using the USB port, plug your iPhone into the USB port of your car or stereo. The USB port might be labeled with a CarPlay icon or a smartphone icon.

If your car supports wireless CarPlay, press and hold the voice command button on your steering wheel to set up CarPlay. Or make sure that your car is in wireless or Bluetooth pairing mode. Then on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay > Available Cars and choose your car. Check the manual that came with your car for more information.

Learn more about CarPlay or how to set up and use CarPlay.

iPad and iPod touch don’t support CarPlay.

Connect using Bluetooth

Restart your device.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth, and turn off Bluetooth. Wait for about 5 seconds, then turn Bluetooth back on.
Check the manual that came with your car for more information on how to pair with a Bluetooth device. Most cars require a phone setup on the car display.
If you’ve connected multiple phones to your car stereo, try renaming your device: Go to Settings > General > About > Name, and type a new name. Then try connecting again.
Update your device.
Make sure that your stereo is using the latest firmware from the car manufacturer. Check your car’s manual for more information.

If you still can’t connect, contact Apple Support.

Connect using USB playback

Restart your device and your car.
Make sure that your device is unlocked and on the Home screen.
If possible, try to connect using another cable or USB port. Check the manual that came with your car to learn how to connect an Apple device.
Check your charging port for any debris or damage. Make sure that your charging cable is properly inserted into the port.
Update your device.
Make sure that your stereo is using the latest firmware from the car manufacturer. Check your car’s manual for more information.
Try playing audio from a different app. If you can’t play audio from a third-party app, contact the app developer for help. If you can’t play audio from an Apple app, contact Apple Support.

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Published Date: March 01, 2021