How to connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to your car
Use CarPlay if you want to connect your iPhone. If that’s not available for your vehicle or you want to connect an iPad or iPod touch, use USB playback or Bluetooth.
Use CarPlay to connect your iPhone
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 directly on your car’s built-in display.
First, make sure CarPlay is supported in your country or region and your car supports CarPlay. Make sure to also use the latest version of iOS and the latest version of your vehicle's software.
If your car supports CarPlay using the USB port, plug your iPhone into the USB port of your car or stereo. The USB port may be labelled with a CarPlay icon or a smartphone icon.
If your car supports wireless CarPlay, your iPhone may offer to connect wirelessly for your next drives after plugging in via USB. Otherwise, you can press and hold the voice command button on your steering wheel to set up CarPlay. Or make sure 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.
CarPlay is not supported on iPad and iPod touch. If you want to pair with a vehicle that supports CarPlay Ultra, you need a network connection on your iPhone so your device can download additional assets during setup.
Use Bluetooth to connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
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 about how to pair with a Bluetooth device. Most cars require a phone set up 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.
Make sure your stereo is using the latest firmware from the car manufacturer. Check your car's manual for more information.
Use USB playback to connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
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 find out how to connect an Apple device.
Check your charging port for any debris or damage. Make sure your charging cable is inserted correctly into the port.
Make sure 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.
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