5 Popular Apps That Don't Work With Apple CarPlay (But Should)

Apple's CarPlay is one of the most convenient and safe ways to have access to your iPhone screen and personal information while driving. With iOS 26, Apple revamped both the CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra experiences with Liquid Glass, widget support, and a few more useful tweaks, such as the ability to unpin chats from iMessage and a banner notification whenever someone calls you instead of the call taking over the entire display.

Even though Apple keeps improving CarPlay, the company is very strict about which apps are available on the platform. While some developers might think that remaking their software into a driving experience might not be worth it, it doesn't mean we wouldn't love to have some of the most popular apps we use every day available on the platform, such as Netflix, TikTok, ChatGPT, Starbucks, and more. Here's why these apps should work with CarPlay, even though they currently don't.

No one should be driving while watching TV. That makes complete sense. Still, popular streaming platforms should be available on CarPlay when people aren't driving. For example, Tesla lets users watch Netflix content in their car in a clever way: it's only possible when the car is parked.

That way, if you're waiting for someone, on a ferry, or just want to hang out a little longer in your vehicle, you could catch up with your favorite shows and movies. While it's unclear whether Apple will ever let video streaming platforms add their apps to CarPlay, this is something the company should consider, as it could be a great alternative when no one is driving the car but still wants to take advantage of the bigger display. That said, it's not only Netflix that should be available, but also Amazon Prime, YouTube, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max, and more.

Note that while these apps aren't available natively with their own dashboard icons, you can still play them on CarPlay using the new "video in the car" feature introduced in iOS 26. Just launch any of these apps, play a video on your iPhone, and project it onto the car's screen when the car is stationary.

Speaking of popular apps, OpenAI's ChatGPT is definitely the one that has made an enormous impact in recent years. This AI chatbot is great for organizing large amounts of data, answering quick (and complex) questions, creating images, practicing a new language, or just being a companion for chatting.

While OpenAI doesn't offer a proper ChatGPT app for CarPlay users, iOS 26 added widget support. This means that if you have ChatGPT on your iPhone, you can add a widget for the app and take advantage of its voice mode to talk to this AI model in your car.

Previously, users had to create a shortcut for the Action Button or start the Conversation Mode before driving, but now Apple has made it easier to use ChatGPT. Even though the experience isn't as complete as what you can get on the web or in the app, drivers can tap into the model's conversational capabilities whenever they want via the infotainment display. That said, a full ChatGPT experience would be welcome.

For the same reason, CarPlay doesn't offer video streaming platforms, Apple also doesn't let users install games. Not only is this a huge miss, but it could also be a way for Apple to grow its Apple Arcade subscription. Just like streaming platforms, the ability to play games should be limited to when the vehicle is safely parked. If Google can provide touch-screen games on Android Auto via GameSnacks, why not Apple?

Among the popular games that should be available on CarPlay are "Angry Birds," "2048," and "Temple Run." What could make porting these games to CarPlay even more straightforward is that most of them are already available on those tiny airplane displays. So, even if you don't have the best infotainment panel, you would still be able to enjoy some of these games whenever you want. We have no idea if Apple will ever add games to CarPlay, but considering drivers can now AirPlay videos from their iPhones, it might just be a matter of time until games come to vehicles as well.

Over the past few years, CarPlay has integrated popular delivery apps, such as DoorDash. iOS 26 made them even better, as users can now follow their order through Live Activities, which lets drivers know the status of their order while still keeping their eyes on the road. However, one popular app that doesn't work with CarPlay but should is Starbucks.

After all, being able to order your coffee on the go is always a perk people enjoy. Currently, the only way to do that is to create a shortcut or use the iPhone app before starting to drive. Users can create a Siri Shortcut for quick ordering and then pay with Apple Pay at the drive-thru.

If Starbucks offered a native experience, it could be easier to integrate it with Siri, or just have your favorite order a few taps away. Since Apple already allows apps like DoorDash to work this way, it means that, theoretically, Starbucks could be next. Then users could order their coffee while driving to the office or after dropping their kids off at school.

Last but not least, CarPlay doesn't support social media apps. However, similar to the streaming platforms and games discussed earlier in the article, Apple could make them available as long as the user is parked. After all, no one needs the distraction of TikTok or Facebook while driving.

Some social media apps, like X, could be especially useful for users to check important notifications about live events. For Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, companies could offer them while the driver is parked, which could help them discover the latest trends, follow their favorite creators, and even keep informed about the news when they're parked at the grocery store waiting for their order to be delivered to their car.

These are just a few of the most popular iPhone apps that we use every day, but unfortunately, we can't use them with CarPlay. While Apple made some of them available thanks to widget support, a proper version could unlock new possibilities for drivers.