Uber’s driver app is getting Apple CarPlay support, which will enable drivers with iPhones to accept trip requests and navigate via their car’s infotainment screen. The feature is just now rolling out to Uber drivers and will be available to all drivers in the US by the end of the month.
The Uber driver app running on CarPlay will let drivers view and accept trips, add more rides to their queue, and use Uber’s navigation to get to pickup and drop-off points. Additionally, drivers can view more route options, better see side streets, and look at heat maps to learn which areas are busy — all without needing to look at their phones.
Once available, the feature can be used by just opening the Uber driver app on an iPhone, tapping Go, and connecting to the car’s infotainment system via USB cable or wireless CarPlay (if available). Then, drivers can start accepting rides from their vehicle’s touchscreen.
CarPlay has become exponentially more accessible in the last few years. Automakers are often favoring Apple’s tech and adding it in as a standard feature in many cars built today.
Manufacturers of luxury electric vehicles, in particular, are adding much larger screens nowadays. Uber drivers signed up on Comfort Electric can enjoy the new CarPlay features on these bigger screens. But Tesla is an outlier, as the company still doesn’t offer CarPlay support. That might be frustrating for all of the Uber drivers who have been signing up to drive Teslas on the company’s new EV platform.
