A developer came up with a way to get CarPlay to work on Teslas by allowing drivers to access their iPhones while driving. While Apple’s CarPlay is available for many car infotainment systems, it was never officially allowed to run on Tesla’s in-car displays. While it’s possible to install an aftermarket headset that supports CarPlay, Polish developer Michal Gapinski has come up with his own.
In pictures and videos posted to Twitter on Friday, Gapinski showed his Tesla running CarPlay on its vehicle’s display. The clips found by Tesla North show that the feature is quite useful, including Apple Maps and Apple Music.
Instead of making any major changes to Tesla’s own hardware, however, Gapinski bypassed Wi-Fi restrictions, which allowed Tesla’s browser to connect to a secondary device. The browser, in turn, treats the content displayed on the host device as a live video feed.
The developers explained that the project actually relies on a Raspberry Pi running a custom version of Android. This version runs a CarPlay-compatible interface, which allows Apple’s user interface to be used on larger screens.
The system has room for improvement, and the Wi-Fi connection needs some improvements to make it smoother, Gapinski said. Since it’s in its early stages, the developer says it plans to release it to the public when it’s perfected.
It seems unlikely that Tesla will adopt CarPlay in its vehicle software anytime soon, given its longstanding feud with Apple — mostly over the development of Apple’s cars. Both sides have hired each other’s engineers several times over the years.
The two CEOs also seem to have a history of attacking each other. Tesla CEO Elon Musk blasted Apple on a conference call, and Apple CEO Tim Cook allegedly expressed dissatisfaction with Musk’s proposal to become CEO in 2016.