What iPhones Can Run CarPlay?

The iPhone maker even has the numbers to prove it. The company claims that nearly 8 in 10 new-car buyers are ready to walk away if the manufacturer doesn’t offer them CarPlay. This means that CarPlay has become an incentive to choose a specific brand, and this makes some wonder why General Motors embarked on the controversial approach that blocks Apple’s system in its cars.While Android Auto and CarPlay are competing products, they offer a similar experience, with nearly the same feature lineup available in cars where they are available. They both focus on navigation, voice interaction, music listening, and managing calls and messages hands-free.

However, the number of people moving from Android Auto to CarPlay seems to be bigger than the other way around, mainly due to the big number of glitches hitting Google’s software. As a result, I’ve seen many people confused about the iPhone they should buy when switching to CarPlay, as unlike in the Google world, Apple’s in-car experience is not offered as a stand-alone app.

CarPlay is integrated directly into iOS, so it receives updates when Apple releases new operating system versions.

The oldest iPhone that can run CarPlay is the iPhone 5. This is impressive, considering that this smartphone was launched in September 2012, and despite no longer receiving updates, it’s still compatible with CarPlay. However, because the last update was launched in July 2019 as iOS 10.3.4, you won’t get access to the latest features.

All newer iPhone models can also run CarPlay, including the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. These are two still incredibly popular iPhone models, and the good news is that they are both compatible with Apple’s car-optimized experience.

The newest iPhone models obviously offer the complete experience and come with all features. However, one of the most important tidbits concerns the connectivity options. CarPlay wired uses a Lightning cable on all iPhones except for the iPhone 15. The latest-generation iPhone switched to USB-C, dropping Apple’s proprietary connector.

The upcoming iPhone 16 series, scheduled to launch in September 2024, will also support CarPlay, with all new models to be compatible with wired and wireless connections. A USB-C connector will continue to be offered for wired connections.

Here’s the full list of iPhones that support CarPlay (last updated in August 2024):

• • iPhone 15

 

• • iPhone 15 Plus

 

• • iPhone 15 Pro

 

• • iPhone 15 Pro Max

 

• • iPhone 14

 

• • iPhone 14 Plus

 

• • iPhone 14 Pro

 

• • iPhone 14 Pro Max

 

• • iPhone 13 Pro

 

• • iPhone 13 Pro Max

 

• • iPhone 13

 

• • iPhone 13 mini

 

• • iPhone 12 Pro

 

• • iPhone 12 Pro Max

 

• • iPhone 12

 

• • iPhone 12 mini

 

• • iPhone 11 Pro

 

• • iPhone 11 Pro Max

 

• • iPhone 11

 

• • iPhone X

 

• • iPhone XS

 

• • iPhone XS Max

 

• • iPhone XR

 

• • iPhone X

 

• • iPhone 8

 

• • iPhone 8 Plus

 

• • iPhone 7

 

• • iPhone 7 Plus

 

• • iPhone 6s

 

• • iPhone 6s Plus

 

• • iPhone 6

 

• • iPhone 6 Plus

 

• • iPhone SE (1st generation)

 

• • iPhone SE (2nd generation)

 

• • iPhone SE (3rd generation)

 

• • iPhone 5s

 

• • iPhone 5c

 

• • iPhone 5