5 Apple CarPlay features that Android Auto still lacks

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are leading the way in in-vehicle mobile software extensions. Each platform has grown in capabilities and functionality since its initial release, expanding to accommodate drivers and their vehicle’s touchscreen interface. There have been several recent Android Auto features to look forward to, including dashboard widgets and YouTube playback when parked. The tech giant has also focused on integrating Gemini AI deeper into the Android Auto interface.

But Apple has also improved CarPlay along the way. Apple has recently added many CarPlay features to vehicles, including its Liquid Glass design, Video AirPlay, and a new notification system. CarPlay and Android Auto have similarities when it comes to core functionality, but Apple’s continued improvements to the platform make several features unique to CarPlay users.

Because Apple places so much emphasis on the software experience its users enjoy across a range of devices, many of its most useful mobile features are part of the driving experience. Here we take a look at some CarPlay features that Android Auto still lacks. Among them are deeply integrated hands-free messaging features and a way for passengers to participate in the CarPlay experience, among others.

Live Activities has to be one of the best iOS features implemented in CarPlay. iPhone users may already be familiar with this feature because Live Activities is useful in different ways. The feature provides users with real-time updates from individual apps, and CarPlay presents these updates directly to a vehicle’s dashboard screen. One of the most useful live activities built into CarPlay is turn-by-turn directions via Apple Maps.

Android Auto helps keep drivers informed of tasks performed in connected apps, although it does so in a more standard, notification-based way. The Android platform supports ongoing notifications on Android mobile devices, but Android Auto makes reviewing them more of a process. Food delivery apps, for example, typically run active status tracking. Android Auto will provide notifications about such a delivery, but the specifics of it require tapping the notification and launching the full app.

CarPlay, however, uses the same Live Activity interface that iOS devices use. On iPhones, live activity will display on the lock screen and in Dynamic Island. This same interface appears on a CarPlay user’s vehicle screen. The CarPlay system automatically adapts the interface to fit different vehicle screen sizes, but drivers can view live progress bars and real-time activity updates without having to touch their mobile device or a single button on their vehicle’s touchscreen.

Making a device read incoming text messages aloud is not a platform-exclusive feature. It is quite commonly used by many mobile device users, but on iOS-specific devices, when a photo is received via iMessage, Siri is able to describe that photo. It does this by using Apple’s Visual Look Up technology, which can identify specific objects, settings, landscapes, and more. The photo description feature is available through CarPlay, allowing drivers to get an idea of ​​the photos sent to them via SMS without taking their eyes off the road.

Android Auto still isn’t capable of this. There are some nifty ways to use Gemini on Android Auto, but the ability to recognize and verbalize images through a messaging app isn’t yet one of them. Gemini can summarize long texts and group discussions, and even suggest quick responses and actions like sharing locations or an estimated time of arrival. But photos intended to reach a user while driving will only be advertised as a photo, with the specific content of the image having to be verified visually once the driver is able to open the messaging app.

Although CarPlay’s photo description feature may initially seem like a minor convenience, it can also be considered a safety feature. Siri’s descriptions are a legitimate reason for drivers not to take their eyes off the road when a text message arrives. Android Auto’s ability to relay text-only messages to drivers eliminates the distraction in most cases, but CarPlay takes the safety factor a step further with photo descriptions.

One of the newest features added to Apple CarPlay is the integration of third-party AI chatbots. OpenAI is one of the companies that jumped at the opportunity. With its ChatGPT app installed, drivers can have voice conversations with the AI ​​directly through the CarPlay interface. Siri was previously the only AI option in CarPlay. It’s capable of handling many basic assistive tasks, but extending support to third-party AI providers opens up many possibilities for CarPlay users.

Android Auto, on the other hand, limits its users to Google’s Gemini AI. For years, Google used its Google Assistant with Android Auto, most recently replacing it with Gemini. In the broad sense, Gemini is more efficient than its predecessor, allowing conversational interactions. But Android Auto’s Gemini Switch has frustrated some drivers, and Android Auto users who want to switch to other AI options can’t do so directly through the platform. Such apps are still accessible through an Android phone, but Gemini remains the only assistant that Android Auto actually integrates into a vehicle’s screen.

While Apple is at least opening the door to third-party AI integrations, CarPlay is still somewhat limited in this regard. Chatbots like ChatGPT are accessible through a vehicle’s main screen, but use of the app is primarily limited to conversational assistance. An app like ChatGPT cannot access other apps like Apple Maps, Messages or Contacts. It is also not capable of integrating with the functions of the vehicle itself. But it can be useful for entertainment and general knowledge, as it can initiate conversations and answer questions.

Reacting to a text message with a quick emoji, thumbs up, or laugh has been an integral part of iMessage for some time. CarPlay users got the opportunity to do this with iOS 26, which introduced Tapback functionality to the platform. In the CarPlay interface’s Messages app, drivers can select a quick reaction to an incoming text message. Previously, CarPlay users could only ask Siri to read the message out loud and then speak a full response to send back.

Android Auto doesn’t have a direct equivalent to Tapback, although it has similar features. The platform offers one-click suggested replies to incoming messages, which can sometimes be as short as a quick emoji. But these are sent as new messages within the same conversation, rather than attached to the specific text they are meant to respond to. CarPlay’s Tapback feature is more like a mobile texting experience.

In fact, Apple’s implementation of Tapback Message Reactions on CarPlay almost perfectly mirrors how it works on an iPhone. Tapping a message in the CarPlay Messages app brings up the same reaction options, and drivers can even pin their most important conversations for easier access while driving. The reaction sent from CarPlay also appears attached to the original message for the recipient, making the messaging experience on a vehicle’s screen almost identical to the rest of Apple’s software ecosystem.

For years, one of the major flaws with in-car software platforms like CarPlay and Android Auto was that music selections had to go through the driver. When there is more than one person in the vehicle, to select the right music for the ride, you had to pass around an unlocked phone. Alternatively, passengers could choose the music, requiring the driver to take their eyes off the road to manually select a track. But Apple has integrated SharePlay into CarPlay, allowing passengers to access the CarPlay interface with their own iPhone.

While apps like Spotify have similar features, Android Auto doesn’t have a native equivalent to CarPlay’s SharePlay integration. The Android Auto platform actually requires a third-party solution, with Spotify Jam being one of the most popular options. Passengers in an Android Auto-enabled vehicle can participate in creating playlists via Spotify Jam, although this requires everyone on board to have the Spotify app installed on their mobile device. Since the feature is handled through Spotify rather than Android Auto, even iOS users can participate.

But Apple’s SharePlay gives CarPlay users a way to sync at the platform level. When the driver launches Apple Music in CarPlay, nearby contacts receive connection prompts on the lock screen and non-contacts can scan a QR code to join. The driver must approve all collaborators and can do so directly on the screen of his vehicle.