Tesla to Launch Windowed Apple CarPlay, Wireless Only for Standard Models

Tesla is advancing development of Apple CarPlay integration, planning to incorporate it into its infotainment system via a "windowed coexistence" approach. The left third and bottom navigation bar of the central touchscreen will remain dedicated to displaying native driving information such as vehicle speed and battery level, while the right two-thirds of the screen will wirelessly mirror the iPhone display, supporting both Apple’s native apps and third-party applications. Upon entering the vehicle, users’ iPhones will automatically pair without requiring a wired connection. However, this implementation will only support the standard version of CarPlay and not CarPlay Ultra—Apple’s enhanced version launching in May 2025, which enables control of the instrument cluster and deeper integration with vehicle hardware. CarPlay Ultra has already debuted on the latest Aston Martin models. Tesla has explicitly stated that CarPlay will not have access to vehicle driving data or hardware control functions.