Tesla owners have long complained about the lack of Apple CarPlay support in their luxury electric vehicles and CEO Elon Musk has so far ignored calls to add it. But it turns out that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel for iPhone owners. It just isn’t the light they expected.
While there’s still no suggestion that CarPlay is coming, an updated Tesla app appears to have outed a forthcoming upgrade that will include AirPlay support instead.
AirPlay is better than nothing
The news comes after the “Tesla App Updates (iOS)” Twitter account posted code that was found in the latest update and appears to reference AirPlay media playback. The new app, version 4.23.0, was released earlier this week.
By adding AirPlay support Apple would be giving iPhone owners a new way to listen to Apple Music in their cars. Currently, an old-fashioned Bluetooth connection is the only way to listen to audio from an iPhone, which isn’t very futuristic at all. And while CarPlay would help maintain the luxury aesthetic Tesla is known for, AirPlay is certainly better than nothing.
There is of course an Apple Music app for Tesla vehicles, and that’s an option for people who want to go that route. But AirPlay support could also theoretically enable video to be streamed from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac as well.
Still, the addition of AirPlay support might simply remind Tesla drivers how much they wish they had CarPlay in their cars. That it isn’t an option is an unusual decision when you remember that Tesla is one of the last holdouts – despite the news that GM is actually going to remove the feature from its own future electric vehicles. That isn’t a move that others seem likely to follow, however, with plenty of manufacturers having since reiterated their commitment to offering CarPlay to their customers.
