How to Enable Siri for Carplay – 3 Easy Ways
When operating Apple CarPlay while driving, you can use Siri to assist you.
A key safety feature of CarPlay is the ability to issue various commands with your voice when it is turned on in your vehicle. This allows you to concentrate on driving.
Once CarPlay is all set up, you should either hold down the Home button on the CarPlay display, say “Hey Siri”, or use the voice button on your steering wheel to activate Siri.
Continue reading to learn more about how to use Siri for CarPlay on an iPhone and the various approaches you can take!
Table of Contents
Enabling Siri on Your iPhone
Check to see if Siri is turned on first. You probably already have Siri set up if you recall watching the “Hey Siri” tutorial. If you skipped this and would like to enable Siri for CarPlay, do the following:
- Go to the Settings app
- Select Siri & Search option
- Toggle Listen for “Hey Siri to the ON position
- Toggle Allow Siri When Locked to the ON position
Activating Siri
Voice: Some older iPhone devices will not have “Hey Siri” support whilst the iPhone isn’t being powered. Luckily, for CarPlay, you’re likely to be connected to a USB cable, therefore by saying “Hey Siri” this will open Siri up, then speak one of the available commands.
CarPlay Display: Hold down the white circle Home button on the bottom left or right of the display. Then Siri will turn on.
Steering Wheel Button: If your steering wheel has a voice button available, if you hold the voice button, this will activate If you have an aftermarket CarPlay installation, Siri, this will differ depending on the hardware installed in your car.
CarPlay Compatible Siri Commands
The functionality of Siri through Apple CarPlay is identical to that of Siri directly on the iPhone, but occasionally CarPlay will not display the content you request on the CarPlay display, instead interpreting your request as audio through your CarPlay speakers or merely informing you that the request cannot be completed while you are driving.
Here are just a few Siri commands that can be used while driving with Apple CarPlay.
Launching an App
It’s not always necessary to launch an app. Apps that are not compatible with CarPlay can still be opened on the phone by telling Siri to launch the app. Additionally, you might avoid having to reach for the display to open Spotify or other music apps by doing this.
“Launch <app name>” – Opens application
It’s important to note that some of the commands listed below will automatically open the app and carry out the request (if it isn’t already open). You don’t need to ask Siri to open the app first before giving the task. Siri is aware of the appropriate app to use in order to carry out the command.
Phone
With the following commands, Siri can start a call, end it, and playback voicemails.
“Call <Contact name>” – Call contact name
“Return my last call” – Calls last caller
“Play my voicemails” – Plays voicemails
FaceTime
FaceTime audio is possible by using the following Siri command, but FaceTime video will not be supported by CarPlay.
“Facetime <Contact name>” – Begins Audio FaceTime calling dialogue
Weather
While Siri won’t show the weather on your CarPlay display, you can ask it to read out the forecast by using any of the following commands. You can ask for the weather today only, or you can add the week’s schedule and a specific location to your request.
“Whats the weather like” – Describes today’s weather
Extended requests
“…tomorrow” – Describes tomorrow’s weather
“…this week” – Describes a week’s forecast
Extra Extended requests
“…in <location>” – Describes weather in spoken location
Calendar
While Siri won’t show your entire calendar on your CarPlay display, it can show specific events from a list for you to choose from as well as create or mention upcoming events in your Calendar app audibly by saying the following commands.
“Set up a meeting at 9” – Creates a calendar event at 9 o’clock
“Create an event” – Creates a new calendar event
“Change an event” – Edits a calendar event for today
“Delete an event” – Displays events to delete on the CarPlay display
“What’s my upcoming appointments” – Lists upcoming week’s all-day events
“What’s my schedule like on <day>” – Lists events for the spoken day
Maps
Asking Siri to set up directions eliminates the need to touch your CarPlay display. This can be quicker than using the Apple Map menus, and if you have some saved locations, like your home or workplace, you can ask Siri to take you there with a few simple commands. Here are just a few different ways you can ask Siri to point you in the direction of your destination.
“Give me directions to home/work” – Gives you directions to the Home or Workplace that’s set in Apple Maps
“Take me to 221B Baker Street” – Direct you to your destination
“Find the closest petrol station” – Find the quickest route to a nearby petrol station
“Find <business name>” – Shows location and directions to spoken business
Reminders
Reminders can be easily set up in Siri and displayed and read aloud while the phone is in CarPlay mode. Reminders on the CarPlay display cannot be modified, unlike calendars.
“Set a reminder to <your reminder>” – Creates a reminder in the Reminders app
“Show my reminders” – Plays back reminders
Messaging
Interacting with your messages app through Siri is likely the most popular Siri feature available through CarPlay. With the exception of any text message displays, which Siri will read to you instead, all of these are carried over when using Apple CarPlay.
“Send a text” – Begins text messaging dialogue
“Text <Contact name>” – Send a text to contact name
“Read my messages” – Read back any unread messages
Music (Apple Music App Only)
Playing music through Siri can be a very useful experience if you have an Apple Music subscription. Asking Siri to play a particular song, playlist, or station is incredibly simple and intuitive. It’s unfortunate that some third-party music apps aren’t compatible with Siri.
“Play <artist name>” – Play spoken artist via Apple Music
“Play <playlist name> playlist” – Plays back spoken playlist
“Play latest album by <artist name>” – Plays spoken artist’s latest album
“Play the radio” – Plays Radio Beats 1 on Apple Music
Podcasts (Apple Podcast App)
If you use Apple’s Podcast app, using the following commands will allow you to ask Siri to playback any podcast on your list or even new podcasts by name.
“Play the latest podcast” – Will play the newest podcast from your list
“Play <podcaster name> podcast” – Will search and play the latest podcast from spoken podcaster
With Siri support, popular WhatsApp messaging is now compatible with CarPlay. You can send messages to individuals or groups, and Siri can read back any unread messages to you.
“Send a message on WhatsApp” – Begins WhatsApp messaging dialogue
“Read my WhatsApp messages” – Reach back any unread WhatsApp messages
Sport
Do you feel the need to research the most recent team result or upcoming sporting event? Then just ask Siri, and they’ll keep you informed while you’re on the move. The CarPlay display does not show any information, but by using the following commands, you can ask Siri to provide you with any information about your favorite team.
“Did <team name> win” – Audio of match result for spoken team
“Who are the players in <team name>” – Lists players in spoken team
“Who does <team name> play next” – Audio of next fixture for spoken team
General Knowledge
Whether you want to ask Siri some math, “How tall is Big Ben”, or “What’s the population of the United States”, While in CarPlay mode, Siri will typically know the answers to your queries. The more complicated queries, however, will require web searching, which CarPlay does not support.
Why You Should Use Siri With CarPlay
The ability to issue voice commands to Siri can help you drive safely.
Being able to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road allows you to concentrate on driving.
Additionally, it can give you crucial information such as reminders for upcoming events or meetings, directions to any location of your choice, and other important information.
Conclusion: 3 Ways to Enable Siri for Carplay
In summary, the three main methods to activate Siri in carplay are:
- Hold down the Home button on the CarPlay display
- Say, “Hey, Siri”
- Use the voice button on your steering wheel
Furthermore, you can drive more safely if Siri is turned on in CarPlay because it will complete all of your tasks.
Please leave them in the comments section below if you have any specific Siri command suggestions that you’ve made while using CarPlay.
