Home How To How to use Apple CarPlay in your Toyota

How to use Apple CarPlay in your Toyota

By Jake Weaver
Apple CarPlay

Welcome to a beginner’s guide on how to use Apple CarPlay in your Toyota vehicle, as well as looking at the various features of the system and how to use them. Apple CarPlay is available on all current models. There is an Apple CarPlay upgrade available for Corolla and RAV4 models produced since 2019. Click here for more information.

To ensure CarPlay is switched on:

  • Menu
  • Setup
  • General – CarPlay is switched on

Only Apple-approved third-party apps can be used.

Connect your iPhone (5 or later) using a USB-Lightning cable, by plugging it into the USB data port.

The first time you connect, a message will offer you three options: Do Not Enable, which you might want to choose if all you want to do is charge your phone, not connect it to the multimedia system; Enable Once, if it’s a friend or relative’s phone that you only want to provide temporary access to the car’s infotainment system; or Always Enable, so your phone automatically connects to the car every time you plug it into the cable.

You’ll then get a message to say that all your Bluetooth devices will be disconnected.

Wireless CarPlay?

At the time of this article’s publication, Apple CarPlay only works through a wired connection in Toyota models except for GR Supra, which is available with a wireless CarPlay setup. To connect the wireless system, pair the phone to the Toyota multimedia system using Bluetooth, choosing Apple CarPlay as the primary function.

You’ll then get a prompt on your phone to check that you want to use CarPlay with this vehicle, so tap Use CarPlay.

Now, every time your phone is in your Toyota, the phone will automatically connect to the car.

If you want to connect to CarPlay through the display for your car’s infotainment system, just tap the Apple CarPlay icon in the main menu. You can also access it via the Media/Radio and Communications icons.

Once you’re connected, you’ll see a grid of app icons in the CarPlay display, a lot like those on the phone home screen. These will probably cover more than one page – especially if you use music streaming services such as Spotify, or alternative navigation apps such as Waze – so all you need to do is swipe between pages to find the app you need. However, there’s also a shortcut menu on the side of the main page of icons, so you can just jump to the most-used apps.

You can access apps by using Apple’s Siri voice control function. If you have voice control in your Toyota, just hold down the voice button on your steering wheel and Siri will respond by asking what you’d like to do.

1,039 comments

  1. Car play has stopped working on my 21 Corolla since the IOS 17 upgrade, is there anything that I can do or does the car need a software update?

    Reply

  2. I’ve just got a new Yaris and have an iPhone 15. When I connect using CarPlay I can’t listen to the DAB radio as the volume defaults to voice recognition so no sound comes out

    It’s stuck on voice recognition. If I disable CarPlay it is fine.

    Reply

  3. Looking at purchasing a 2020 c-hr for my wife but appears to not have CarPlay. Is there a Toyota approved upgrade rather than a 3rd party route. It would appear CarPlay was not introduced until 2022 is this true as this is very late to the party.

    Reply

    1. Hi Terry, thanks for your comment.

      Apple CarPlay retrofit is only currently available for certain models of the Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Corolla.

      Please provide a vehicle registration so that we can look into whether this car is equipped with Apple CarPlay already.

      Thanks.

      Reply

    1. Hi Karen, thanks for getting in touch.

      Please provide a vehicle registration so that we can look into this for you.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  5. Hi
    I have a 2020 Hilux invincible x and cannot see or find apple carplay
    When o connect using a lightning lead there is no option but as far as I knew this model should have carplay
    SL70KYG

    Reply

    1. Hi Mark, thanks for getting in contact.

      This vehicle is not equipped with Apple CarPlay. However, it is equipped with the Toyota Touch® 2 multimedia system.

      Please let us know if you have any other questions.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  7. Hello. I have a 2019 Toyota Yaris icon. I cannot work out how to use the say nav or car play or if my vehicle has these things but I was told it did when I bought it. Can you help! Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi Grace, thanks for getting in touch.

      Please provide a vehicle registration so that we can look into this for you.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  8. My navigation system says the function is not available. When I bought the car it was sold with sat nav and the button etc is there for it? Thanks

    Reply

  9. Hi I have just taken delivery of a Toyota Corolla Touring Sport Excel is there any way to have two mobile phones connected simultaneously? I have 2 iPhones one work and one personal. I would like to be able to have one connected via apple car play and the other just to receive calls. Is this possible as I can connect one at a time to car play but when I try to connect the second the display tells me it will connect the first phone. Any help much appreciated

    Reply

  10. Hi I have a Toyota CHR (2020 Reg) however the Car Play option does not appear in the General settings. How can I make this available? Does it require a software update? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Natalie, thanks for getting in touch.

      Please provide a vehicle registration so that we can look into this for you.

      Thanks.

      Reply

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