apps I – After more than 25,000 miles of driving over the past year, this CarPlay user shares the apps they actually relied on—why they made the cut, where they fell short, and which backups they keep ready when connectivity or navigation glitches hit.
I live in a rural part of the UK, so “a quick drive” often turns into hours on the road. Over the past 12 months, I covered more than 25,000 miles behind the wheel—enough time for a harsh truth to sink in: if an app makes you take your eyes off the road, it doesn’t belong on your CarPlay screen.
That’s why my CarPlay setup isn’t a collection of curiosities. It’s a shortlist built for focus—plus a couple of backups for when the road, the weather, or the connection decides it’s going to make your life harder.
I’m an iPhone user, and CarPlay is my platform of choice, though I’ve had a few moments where CarPlay just didn’t work. On those days, I had to dig out an old handset and hope Android Auto would cooperate instead.
CarPlay is also where the differences show up. The interface gets stripped down. Siri becomes a bigger part of the experience. and some apps—video conferencing apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom—are limited to audio-only. And when you’re traveling in a metal box at up to 85 mph. you’re using the cellular network the whole time. Connectivity issues. especially when you move from one cell to another. are a real concern. so perfection shouldn’t be the expectation.
I highly recommend pulling over somewhere safe for anything beyond tapping a button or two—or giving Siri a voice command.
There’s also the question of clutter. If you don’t want pointless apps crowding your CarPlay screen. you can remove them on your iPhone: tap Settings. then CarPlay. select your vehicle. and tap Customize. From there. you can delete an app by tapping the red circle next to its icon. or move apps around by dragging and dropping them.
My app philosophy is simple: keep it minimal, keep it useful, and always plan for the moment when your “main” app stops behaving.
Navigation is where I learned that lesson the most.
The app I use the most is Waze. I’m not getting into the Waze vs. Google Maps vs. Apple Maps debate. and I’m not picking a fight with other excellent navigation apps like TomTom. MapQuest GPS and Navigation. and InRoute. Picking a favorite is, honestly, like choosing the best cherry pie—or burgers—for yourself. You’ll probably stick with what you trust.
For me, Waze has been bombproof enough for years, with a key habit that matters on long rural trips: it’s paired with a backup. I’ve had times when Waze would only show a blank map, and I had to switch to Google Maps.
If you need something that works offline or lets you go off-road. the one app I keep coming back to is OsmAnd Maps. It isn’t a regular mapping tool—it includes offline maps and features you don’t typically see in standard navigation apps. There are counters, hill shading, and 3D building support. It’s aimed not just at drivers but also cyclists and hikers. and it supports displaying. recording. importing. exporting. and navigating GPX files.
That power is why it comes with a learning curve. The advice here is straightforward: get used to OsmAnd Maps before you set off.
One more detail matters if you plan to use OsmAnd Maps through CarPlay: a paid subscription is required to use it via CarPlay, and the recommendation comes with that condition—worth it for off-roading.
Weather is the next place where “good enough” can turn into frustration fast. When you’re driving, it doesn’t take much for a trip to go from smooth to annoying because conditions shift faster than you expected.
The way I like to check weather isn’t a full, overwhelming overview. I want weather where I am now—and what it will be along my route at the time I’m estimated to be driving through.
In CarPlay, Carrot Weather is one of my two go-tos. It’s a powerful weather app with a highly customizable personality you can set to be sarcastic. professional. or even profanity-laden if that’s your preference. It can also be customized to draw from a variety of weather sources. Carrot is my go-to on my iPhone, on my Apple Watch, and when I’m using CarPlay.
The other is Weather on the Way, which shows weather along the route you’re on. I tend to use it for a quick overview at the start of a journey, and I’ve found it to be reliable.
Music and audio entertainment are the apps you reach for whether you’re driving for work or heading out for days away. Whatever I’m using on my phone—Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, SiriusXM Radio, or Spotify—it’s usually the app I end up using in the car.
The rule I follow is practical: use playlists and stations. Prodding around the interface looking for specific songs while you’re moving isn’t a plan; it’s a distraction.
If you want something social, Apple Music’s SharePlay feature lets other iPhone users in the car take control of the tunes.
When it’s not music, there are podcasts and audiobooks. I’m not a big podcast person, so the Podcast app is enough for me, even though I know plenty of people who swear by Pocket Casts, Overcast, and Downcast.
For audiobooks, I’ve been an Audible subscriber longer than CarPlay or the iPhone have existed—so Audible stays firmly in my life. Alternatives I also mention are Kobo Books and Google Play Books.
If you want to use your own audio files, BookPlayer helps organize and access them. For borrowing audiobooks from the library, Libby lets you borrow digital audiobooks directly from your local library for free using your library card.
Fuel and EV charging has its own logic. I tend to use Waze or Google Maps to find nearby gas stations because I don’t want to add another app just to look for fuel.
If you want deeper pricing details, GasBuddy uses crowdsourced pricing data. And for EV charging, ChargePoint is the option I point to.
Parking follows a similar pattern. For me, Waze does a good job of finding a convenient place to park at my destination.
But when I want a dedicated app, EasyPark focuses more on everyday on-street parking and also does EV charging. SpotHero is tied to prebooking spaces in commercial garages.
There are also a few other apps I use sporadically while on the move.
Telegram is for secure communications. WhatsApp handles random audio calls and messaging. And ChatGPT is something I use when driving to give me an overview of something I’m thinking about.
The thread running through all of this isn’t about having the most apps—it’s about not getting pulled into them. CarPlay should help you move. It shouldn’t turn your drive into a touchscreen scavenger hunt.
Even after 25,000 miles, that’s still the standard I judge everything by: can it keep my attention where it belongs—on the road?
CarPlay iPhone apps driving apps Waze Google Maps OsmAnd Maps Carrot Weather Weather on the Way Apple Music SharePlay Audible GasBuddy ChargePoint EasyPark SpotHero Libby Telegram WhatsApp ChatGPT
CarPlay is only good if it doesn’t glitch mid-drive.
I don’t get why people use apps while driving at all. Like if it takes your eyes off the road, just don’t. Also CarPlay always feels kinda laggy to me, maybe it’s the area or whatever.
So you drove 25,000 miles and the takeaway is “don’t look away”? Bold. I feel like the real issue is the phone signal, not the apps. If it’s rural and the connectivity sucks, just download stuff beforehand? Also UK drivers have bigger cars so maybe that changes nothing.
I swear CarPlay killed my battery the last time I tried it. I think it’s because it keeps searching for Bluetooth or something. The article says apps that mess with navigation don’t belong, but aren’t all the navigation apps basically the same? Idk, I just use the built-in map and pray. Would be nice if they listed the exact “top picks” though instead of all the talking about rural roads.