WhatsApp on your car screen: how to use it with Android Auto and CarPlay

Of all the questions we get before someone buys a screen, WhatsApp is right up there: "will I be able to read my messages without picking up the phone?". The answer is yes, and it is one of the most used features day to day, but it helps to understand how it really works, because WhatsApp in the car is nothing like WhatsApp on your phone.

The key difference: in the car WhatsApp is not handled by typing, it is handled by speaking and listening. The screen tells you a message has arrived, reads it out loud and you reply by dictating. There is no keyboard, no chat list to scroll through and no photos. It is designed that way on purpose, and that is exactly what makes it useful at the wheel instead of dangerous.

How WhatsApp works with Android Auto

With Android Auto, WhatsApp appears as just another app in the screen's menu. Opening it shows your recent conversations as a large, glanceable list. From there:

• Incoming messages. A discreet notification arrives and, if you tap it or ask by voice, the assistant reads the message out loud. The full text is not displayed while you drive.
• Replying by dictation. You say "OK Google, reply" and speak; the assistant transcribes it and asks for confirmation before sending.
• Sending without having received anything first. "OK Google, send a WhatsApp message to Marta" and the assistant handles the rest.
• WhatsApp calls. They can be started and received by voice, and they play through the car speakers like any hands-free call.

Two things are needed for this to run smoothly: WhatsApp updated on the phone, and the Google assistant allowed to read notifications. If messages are not being read out, that permission is the first thing to check.

How it works with Apple CarPlay

On CarPlay the approach is almost identical, with Siri as the middleman. WhatsApp shows up in the CarPlay menu and lets you listen to messages and answer by voice, as well as make and receive WhatsApp calls. On iPhone you need WhatsApp's Siri access switched on, in the app's settings.

One detail that surprises many people: if you mute WhatsApp notifications on your phone, nothing is announced in the car either. And the other way round, if you want no interruptions on a long trip, muting that chat on the phone is enough to keep the screen quiet.

What if I install WhatsApp on the screen itself?

Our screens run Android with the Play Store, so technically the app can be installed on the unit. In practice we do not recommend it, for three reasons:

• WhatsApp is tied to a phone number. Installing it on the screen would mean registering your number there — and stopping using it on your phone — or using a different number. Neither makes sense in a car.
• The app is not designed for a dashboard. It is a portrait phone app: small buttons, an on-screen keyboard and no adaptation to driving.
• It needs its own connection. The screen connects over Wi-Fi, usually to the phone's hotspot; if the phone is already there, the logical thing is to use it through CarPlay or Android Auto. We explain it in does the Android head unit need internet?.

The right route is always projecting the phone: it is what Google and Apple designed for driving, it reads messages out loud and it does not force you to look.

What you will not be able to do (and why that is a good thing)

Neither Android Auto nor CarPlay will let you type on a keyboard, view received photos or videos, open statuses or scroll through a conversation's history while the car is moving. That is not a limitation of the screen: it is a design decision in both systems.

And it makes complete sense. Spanish traffic rules prohibit holding a phone while driving, and the whole spirit of CarPlay and Android Auto is that you should not need to: everything important is done by voice with your eyes on the road. If you need to read a whole thread or send a photo, the sensible thing is to stop somewhere safe.

To make it work well: three settings that matter

1. Microphone. This has the biggest influence. If the assistant mishears what you dictate, it is almost always microphone placement or background noise. We cover it in people can't hear me properly on calls.
2. A stable connection. If you use wireless CarPlay or Android Auto, the quality of the link affects the notifications. We go through the difference between wired and wireless in CarPlay wired versus wireless.
3. Notifications allowed. On Android the assistant needs notification access; on iPhone WhatsApp needs Siri access. Without that, the screen announces nothing even if everything else is fine.

If projection does not start at all, that is a different problem and it is covered in Android Auto is not working or will not connect and in CarPlay is not working or will not connect.

Frequently asked questions

Will it read the message out without me touching anything?
Yes, if you have notifications enabled and the assistant's permission granted. You can also ask it by voice to read out pending messages.

Can I send WhatsApp voice notes from the car?
What you send when dictating is a transcribed text message, not a voice note. To record audio you would have to use the phone, so better with the car stopped.

Does it work with groups?
Yes: group messages are read out the same way, saying who is writing, and you can reply to the group by voice.

Do I need a cable for WhatsApp to work?
No. It works the same with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto; in fact it is more convenient, because the phone can stay in your pocket.

My car is old and has none of this. Can I still get it?
Yes. That is exactly what a screen with CarPlay and Android Auto solves: you fit it in the radio aperture and the car starts reading your messages out and replying by voice, whatever year it is from.

See head units with CarPlay and Android Auto

All our screens have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto both wired and wireless, Android with the Play Store, Wi-Fi and GPS with maps of Spain and Europe. The universal head unit with wireless CarPlay fits any 2 DIN aperture; if you would rather keep your car's original screen, the wireless CarPlay and Android Auto interface does the same job without replacing it; and the model-specific screen for your car is in the full catalogue. Tell us make, model and year and we will confirm which one is yours.