Clever hack finally brings CarPlay to your Tesla

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CarPlay on a Tesla
A Raspberry Pi makes it all possible.
Photo: Michał Gapiński

Tesla refuses to add CarPlay to its vehicles, so you’re stuck with the company’s own infotainment system — which doesn’t have it own Apple Music app. Or you can hack together a CarPlay upgrade by yourself.

Polish developer Michał Gapiński did exactly that by using a clever trick that involves Tesla’s built-in web browser and a Raspberry Pi. And, believe it or not, everything works exactly as intended.

Tesla gets CarPlay, thanks to Raspberry Pi

CarPlay made its debut way back in 2014, and since then, most automakers have added the technology to their vehicles. It is even popping up in more affordable vehicle configurations so you don’t have to splash out on upgrades.

Sadly, Tesla has no interest in following suit. It has shunned CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of its own software, which is still missing a bunch of popular apps — including Apple Music, Apple Maps, and more.

Gapiński has fixed this by adding CarPlay to his Tesla himself. The hack is made possible by a Raspberry Pi running a custom version of Android, which streams the CarPlay interface to Tesla’s built-in web browser over Wi-Fi.

It works surprisingly well

Although it may not be the most polished solution, it works surprisingly well. Images and videos posted by Gapiński show a pretty smooth experience, with Maps working as intended for turn-by-turn navigation.

Apple Music also works just fine, continuing to play in the background while other apps are in use. And Gapiński can even interact with the Music app using Tesla’s steering wheel controls.

Gapiński is now working to improve Wi-Fi connectivity for a more responsive experience. The project is still in its early stages for now, but it will be made available to the public “when it’s polished.”

Via: Tesla North

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