Tesla EVs might finally get Apple CarPlay support in the coming months, claims report

Tesla has long refused to add CarPlay or Android Auto to its vaunted lineup of EVs, instead relying solely on its own in-house software. However, a recent Bloomberg report claims that the company may have accepted the feature's merit, and is internally testing smartphone projection support; if this is accurate, the feature could roll out in the coming months.

CarPlay on Teslas: Timeline remains unclear

Of course, the plans are not yet concrete and are most definitely subject to change. Tesla has earned itself a reputation of testing out features only to never actually release them into the wild, which makes the situation even blurrier. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support are undoubtedly extremely useful features and rank high in feature priority lists for many car buyers, and Tesla appears to have finally taken note of this fact.

That said, Tesla will likely utilize the basic version of CarPlay, and not the CarPlay Ultra which debuted a while ago to mixed reception. Essentially, the CarPlay functionality will be made possible in a windowed mode inside of Tesla's current UI, which doesn't sound particularly clean. Considering that the feature is only in the testing stage, the end product may change in unforeseeable ways - or perhaps even never show up at all, given Tesla's track record.

Consumer demand is the key factor

In forums, users are already voicing their support for Apple's CarPlay, with some even stating that it might be a make-or-break factor for their next car purchase. GM's decision to get rid of CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of its own software was met with widespread criticism, and it isn't really difficult to see why once one considers the features which these phone projection tools bring to the table.