The 15 Best CarPlay Apps for Road Warriors
Credit: Dominos
Whether you're stuck in traffic on your daily commute or you like to be on the road a lot, there's no doubt that some of us spend way too much time in our cars. Sometimes, it even feels like it's our second home.
With that said, being on the road can be a bit boring. Sure, you can listen to the radio, but sometimes there's nothing good on, or you just feel like listening to something else.
If you're getting bored in your car, your iPhone and CarPlay are there to help. There are tons of apps you can start using to make your time on the road slightly better and more entertaining. Whether you want to grab a bite or listen to some news about your favorite sports team, there's an app out there that will help you on the road. And the best part is that all of these apps are free to download. You can try them out without spending a dime on any of them.
Read on for 15 CarPlay apps to get you started.
Spotify
If you love listening to music, Spotify is going to be your best friend on the road. You've surely heard of Spotify; you search for your favorite songs or playlists and hit play. It's that simple.
There are millions of songs to listen to, and you can even download them so you won't waste data while you're driving.
The best part is that Spotify doesn't just have music; you'll also find hundreds of thousands of podcasts that you can also listen to with the same subscription.
And if you're waiting inside your car, some of these podcast episodes have videos, so you can listen to and watch your favorite creators — just not necessarily on your car dashboard.
YouTube Music
On the other hand, if you want to watch music videos or listen to your favorite tunes, YouTube Music is the way to go.
Just like Spotify, YouTube Music has millions of songs available with just one tap. What makes this app stand out, though, is the fact that you can also watch official music videos. Sure, you can't do that while you're driving, but it's the perfect way to kill time if you're waiting to recharge your car.
You can get YouTube Music as a standalone subscription service, but if you really love YouTube, you can also get YouTube Premium to get extra perks in both the YouTube and the YouTube Music apps.
Apple Podcasts
On the other hand, if you prefer listening to other people while you're on the go, you can get Apple Podcasts. This app features millions of shows and episodes on pretty much any topic.
Whether you want to listen to podcasts about business, personal development, or competitive Pokemon, there's a podcast out there waiting for you.
Sure, you could use an app like Spotify, but Apple Podcasts is completely free. You can listen to as many podcasts and even download them without paying a single dime or listening to ads.
Overcast
Some people don't like Apple Podcasts, and that's completely fine. If you're one of those people, Overcast is your best option.
Overcast is considered one of the best apps for iPhone, and it'll work perfectly on CarPlay, too. You can listen to as many podcast episodes as you want without paying a subscription.
Not only that, but it also comes with other exclusive features like Smart Speed to speed up your podcasts without losing audio quality or Voice Boost to make your podcast sound louder and better.
But by far, the most impressive thing about Overcast is that this app was developed by a single person, which sounds unbelievable when you consider how great this app is.
Apple Maps
Going on the road is easy when you know where you're going, but what if you're visiting a place for the first time?
For times like that, Apple Maps will be your best friend on the road. Apple Maps is one of the best apps for your iPhone and car. You can get immediate directions to any place you want and get accurate information about the road and traffic, although there are other apps that may report traffic better than Apple Maps, depending on where you live.
Still, Apple Maps is a great option. It offers a bunch of features that will help you get more information about any place you want to visit or let you take directions even when you don't have data by simply downloading any map you want.
Waze
If you don't want to be completely dependent on the Apple ecosystem, Waze is a great alternative.
Waze is one of the best navigation apps out there, and it makes being stuck in traffic fun and different.
Besides getting instant directions to any place you want, Waze also lets you know about any traffic that might affect you. Other Waze users can also report things like accidents that just happened or police checkpoints that you may want to avoid.
To make things more interesting, Waze also gamifies traffic by giving you digital points when you drive while using the app. Moreover, if you want to change the voice of the app, there are countless voices you can choose from.
Some of them are the voices of celebrities like Gordon Ramsey, and others are silly voices like a zombie talking about brains.
iHeart
If you'd rather listen to the radio than podcasts or personalized playlists, you should give iHeart a shot.
This app is the perfect companion for long trips. Like other apps, it offers tons of songs and podcasts, but it also gives you access to live FM and AM radio stations that you can listen to for free.
You can listen to some of the most popular music on the radio or catch up with some news about your favorite teams or sports.
The best part is that you can use iHeart's basic features for free and listen without any extra cost. But if you want to take your experience to another level, you can subscribe to have access to thousands of premium songs and features.
Whatever option you choose, you'll surely find a radio station, podcast, or song for every mood.
Yes, using WhatsApp on the road sounds a bit dangerous, but Meta did a good job of adding a version of this app for CarPlay.
Instead of reading your messages, WhatsApp for CarPlay will read them out loud for you. You'll also be able to get notifications for any upcoming messages and you can dictate a new message whenever you want.
While this app is a great tool for your CarPlay repertoire, please remember to use it responsibly. Even if you're listening to messages instead of reading them, you should never get distracted while you're driving.
Phone App
You already have this app on your iPhone, but it's important to remember that you can use the Phone app with CarPlay.
Like many other CarPlay apps, you can control it with your voice. Of course, you'll be asking Siri to make or receive calls for you, but you can also control the Phone app with your screen, although it's better to avoid doing this until you're parked.
You can call anyone from your contacts or answer calls when you're too busy paying attention to the road. Likewise, you can listen to your voicemail if you want to catch up on some missing messages.
Audible
Nowadays, you can consume pretty much anything by listening to it, and that includes books. Instead of reading with your eyes, you can use an app like Audible and "read" by having someone else read your favorite books.
Audible is a fantastic app for audiobooks. You'll find everything from the most popular titles to hidden gems you didn't know you would love.
Granted, Audible can be a bit pricey, but with an Audible subscription, you'll get access to many Audible originals and some credits to buy your favorite audiobooks with just a couple of taps.
Audacy
Do you prefer keeping up with news and current events from around the world? Then Audacy is the perfect app for you.
As you can expect from a radio app, Audacy has tons of different stations and shows you can listen to your heart's content. Moreover, it also comes with different podcasts and songs you can listen to with just a few taps.
While Audacy's bread and butter is sports — which means you find dozens of sports shows to keep up with your favorite NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL teams — you'll also find local news stations and CNN, CBS News, and Fox News stations to keep up with news near you.
But what makes Audacy stand out is its extra features. For instance, you can rewind sports or news stations or pause them so you can continue listening where you left off.
MLB
If your favorite sport is baseball, then you should check out the MLB app.
As you can expect from the name, you'll get access to tons of Major League Baseball content. From real-time updates on any game to highlights of the best games of the day or week.
When you're done with your car ride, you can still use the app and find many cool features, like possible lineups for upcoming games, stats, and content from your favorite players — which you can start filling inside the app.
If you want to step up your game, you can subscribe to MLB's subscription plans to get exclusive access and perks inside the app. But don't worry; you can still use the app for free.
SpotHero
SpotHero is an app that will surely become your best friend pretty quickly; after all, who doesn't hate trying to find a parking spot, especially when we're running low on time?
Well, you don't have to suffer that anymore, thanks to SpotHero. This app will help you find the best parking spot before you even leave home. Over 30 million cars have used the app to find a parking spot, and it will surely help you as well.
If you're already on the go, you can quickly use the app without touching your iPhone, thanks to CarPlay. You can find parking spaces, compare prices, and even book your spot so no one else gets in before you get there.
Dunkin'
It may sound hard to believe that Dunkin' actually has its own CarPlay app. That's right; you can make your order before you get to your favorite Dunkin store right from your car.
Besides being able to order from the app, you will also have access to exclusive discounts and can join an exclusive reward program from Dunkin'.
Just by buying the coffee you already love, you'll start earning points that you'll be able to exchange for free food or drinks in the future.
Domino's
Dunkin' might be great for a quick drink or for breakfast, but what if you want to grab lunch on the road or dinner on the way home?
Well, that's what Domino's is for. The Domino's app lets you create the perfect pizza to order ahead so you don't waste any time waiting at your nearest Domino's.
Just like Dunkin', the app offers a reward program that will let you earn a free Domino's after every two orders.