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Mapping glitches have slowed the rollout of Apple CarPlay to Tesla cars, after years of resisting the popular technology.
Electric Cars
The introduction of Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring technology to Tesla electric cars has been delayed after hitting a speed bump during development, according to a new report.
News outlet Bloomberg – via reputable Apple-focused journalist Mark Gurman – broke the story last year that the US electric-car giant was looking to implement the popular feature, amid feedback from potential customers.
It was initially forecast to roll out as soon as the end of 2025, according to Gurman, but "compatibility hitches" with the iPhone's in-house Apple Maps have reportedly forced the launch to be delayed.
According to the report, the turn-by-turn guidance offered Tesla's in-house navigation – which uses Google Maps data – would not synchronise correctly with Apple Maps' route when the car is in Full Self-Driving Supervised mode.
A fix has reportedly been rolled out in a recent bug-fix update for the iPhone's latest software version, iOS 26, at Tesla's request.
However, Bloomberg reports Tesla has been concerned with the slower adoption of iOS 26 compared to earlier versions of the software, such that not enough iPhone users have the updated maps installed on their iPhone.
Data released by Apple last week shows that, 150 days on from the software's release, 74 per cent of iPhones introduced in the past four years are running iOS 26.
It is down from 76 per cent running 2024's iOS 18 only 127 days after its release, and the same 76 per cent running 2023's iOS 17 software 139 days after it was made available.
Apple's figures do not distinguish between different versions of iOS 26 – now up to 26.3 – so not all of the 74 per cent will have the Tesla compatibility bug installed.
Gurman, however, says Tesla "continues to plan to add CarPlay" as an app running within the US brand's current software, skipping the CarPlay Ultra variant that takes over the entire operating system.
It would represent an unprecedented decision for the car maker, which has long resisted the system and rival Android Auto in favour of popular apps built into its own operating system, such as Spotify and Apple Music.
Tesla's stance – yet the subsequent popularity of its vehicles – have likely influenced brands such as General Motors, as well as upstarts including Rivian, to skip CarPlay and Android Auto in favour of in-house features.
New timing for the rollout of Apple CarPlay in Tesla vehicles is yet to be reported, and the brand is yet to formally confirm reports that the technology is coming to its cars.
Electric Cars Guide
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
