Most People Don't Use These CarPlay Apps, And They're Missing Out

Nothing beats cruising down the highway and blasting your favorite tunes through your car's speaker system. Over the last several years, the world of vehicular infotainment has rapidly evolved, and now, even big companies like Apple and Google are trying to get in on the action. If you've never heard of CarPlay, this is Apple's foray into car-friendly iPhone controls and features. Introduced with iOS 7.1, CarPlay allows you to mirror many of the integral UI elements of your iPhone, including apps, messaging, and navigation, to your car's infotainment screen.

Available in over 800 vehicles via a wired USB connection or wireless pairing to your iOS device, Apple CarPlay has quickly become a staple of driving in the 21st century. But today, we want to dip our feet into lesser-known waters, at least in terms of introducing you to some CarPlay apps you probably didn't even know existed. Some of this software is meant for pure entertainment, while other apps serve far more practical purposes. Whether you're rocking a Honda or speeding along in a BMW, here are five CarPlay apps you might be missing out on in 2025.

Are you tired of relying on the same old playlists, albums, and artists to get you through your commute to work? With Simple Radio, the name of the game is "casting as wide a net as possible," at least in terms of international radio stations. This fantastic CarPlay app gives you access to over 90,000 live AM and FM stations all over the world, featuring everything from music and news content to live sports and talk radio.

The intuitive UI makes it easy to pick a corner of the globe to hone in on, but you can also search for stations by name or genre. You'll even be able to save stations so that you can pull up your go-to streams in just seconds flat. Simple Radio is home to some pretty esoteric offerings, too, including a station that broadcasts never-ending Gregorian chants.

Simple Radio is a free-to-use service, but you can also sign up for a Simple Radio Premium subscription to remove ads and enable offline listening, among other enhancements.

Scanner Radio is a robust streaming app that lets you listen in on police and fire radio broadcasts all over the nation. This CarPlay app is home to 2 million monthly listeners and includes customizable alerts, so you'll never miss out on important information from your go-to scanner streams. You'll even be able to filter broadcast type by service, with options including police, fire, aircraft, rail, marine, and more. You'll also be able to sort by categories like local scanners, newly added scanners, and most popular scanners.

The Scanner Radio app is completely volunteer-supported, with streams made available by participating police and fire departments, as well as sites like Broadcastify. There's a built-in 10-code key as well to help you decipher what emergency personnel are saying amongst peers. And if you want to try out the latest Scanner Radio features before they're added to the official app, you can download Apple's TestFlight app (for iOS and iPadOS) to mess with beta enhancements before they go live.

Keeping track of the weather is an integral part of driving, and one of the most robust CarPlay apps for live weather conditions is MyRadar. With over 50 million downloads, MyRadar is one of the top five weather apps on the market, and the developer shows no signs of stopping. On the surface, this is a live radar service that uses your phone data to hone in on your vehicle's current location. You'll see what precipitation is heading your way, and the two-hour looping feature gives you a decent idea of a storm's trajectory.

MyRadar also allows you to keep tabs on surface winds and jet streams, as well as earthquake, hurricane, and aviation alerts. And while MyRadar is totally free, signing up for the paid version of the app gives you access to more detailed radar feeds, as well as the ability to tilt and rotate the radar image to best suit your vehicle's infotainment display.

Waze is an incredible GPS tool that gives Apple's Maps app a run for its money. The service uses real-time driver information to provide you with a detailed look at traffic conditions and road alerts. With millions of users reporting 24/7, using Waze is one of the best ways to avoid speed traps, potholes, major accidents, and other potential hazards that might prevent you from getting to work on time. Waze also has a useful ETA feature that gives you a projected arrival time to a specific destination based on current conditions.

We also love the fact that Waze lets you track your vehicle speed with the built-in speedometer function. Other noteworthy features include traffic cam notifications, multi-lane guidance, and toll pricing (plus alternate routes for avoiding tolls entirely). There's even a gas station and EV-charging station locator, which bodes well for those of us with hybrid and electric vehicles.

Finding a parking spot in a busy city can be a real chore, especially when you're already driving. Enter SpotHero for Apple CarPlay, one of the best parking spot and valet locators you can download today. The company started the service in 2011 and claims to have parked over 75 million cars.

With access to over 300 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada, SpotHero lets you search for and compare parking prices for numerous parking facilities at a time. Once you've found the right lot or spot, you can pay ahead of time. So, when you arrive at your destination, all you have to do is follow the instructions on your paid pass, park the car, and proceed on foot. SpotHero also lets you search for parking for upcoming events and book airport and monthly parking well in advance. Say goodbye to frantically driving around a city you're not familiar with in hopes of finding a last-minute place to ditch your car.