Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: connecting your phone in a rental car

Most of our recent vehicles are fitted with a touchscreen compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In plain terms: your phone's navigation, music and calls appear straight on the car's screen — big, clear and safe. Here is how to make the most of it.

What is it for?

Apple describes CarPlay as "a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car": navigation, calls, messages and music all appear on the vehicle's display, per the official Apple CarPlay site. Android Auto offers exactly the same features for Android smartphones, as detailed on the official Android Auto site. In practice: Google Maps or Waze in real time, your music and podcasts, your messages read aloud and hands-free calls. You never touch your phone while driving — safer and more convenient, especially in a city you do not know.

Is your car compatible?

Very likely: Apple lists more than 800 CarPlay-compatible models, with most cars from around 2016-2017 onwards equipped, according to the official list of compatible models. On our recent vehicles, the screen shows the option as soon as you plug in your phone.

How to connect: step by step

• With a cable: plug your phone into the car's USB "data" port. The screen then offers CarPlay (iPhone) or Android Auto (Android). Accept, and you are all set.
• Wireless: on compatible models, pairing starts over Bluetooth (to exchange network credentials), then the data flows over a Wi-Fi connection between the phone and the car. Once set up, it reconnects automatically on every journey.

Our tips

• Download offline maps (Google Maps) before a road trip: mobile coverage can drop out in the mountains or the desert.
• Use a good-quality cable if wireless is not available.
• Set your destination while parked, before you set off.
• Remember to disconnect when returning the vehicle to wipe your data from the system (Bluetooth and accounts).

Want a car with a CarPlay screen? It is listed on our vehicle pages — and you can request it when booking. For the other on-board technologies, see our article on driver aids.