Tesla drivers have been waiting. For years, the conversation has hovered around one question: When will CarPlay finally come to my car? Last year, Bloomberg reported that Tesla planned to bring Apple’s CarPlay to its vehicles by the end of 2025.
The idea made sense. Apple CarPlay is deeply familiar to iPhone users. It merges navigation, messaging, music, and voice control into one seamless dashboard. For many buyers, it has become a deciding factor when choosing a car. Even Tesla, with arguably one of the best in-house infotainment systems in the industry, couldn’t ignore that demand.
Its software already handles Apple Music, Spotify, video playback, web browsing, and Full Self-Driving controls. But CarPlay’s simplicity and ecosystem integration have a magnetic pull for users who want the iPhone experience in their car.
Now a new report suggests customers will have to wait a bit longer. According to Bloomberg, during internal testing, Tesla ran into a compatibility snag. Apple Maps and Tesla’s own mapping software didn’t sync perfectly when autonomous driving was active. Turn-by-turn directions could clash if both systems were visible at the same time, creating the potential for confusion.
Tesla requested fixes from Apple, which were delivered in later updates to iOS 26 and CarPlay. But there was another obstacle: adoption. By the end of 2025, not enough iPhones had updated to the versions containing the necessary fixes. Apple revealed that iOS 26 was running on 74% of iPhones released in the last four years, slightly slower than previous rollouts.
For Tesla, rolling out CarPlay too early could introduce inconsistencies, support headaches, or, worse, a confusing driving experience. The cautious approach makes sense, but it has left drivers frustrated.
CarPlay remains on Tesla’s roadmap, and as iOS 26 adoption grows, the technical barriers will ease. Apple is also expanding CarPlay with support for third-party voice chatbots and a premium Ultra version, which could make the eventual integration more compelling. For drivers, this isn’t just a new app; it’s about familiarity, convenience, and a smoother connection between phone and car.
