How To Use Apple CarPlay With Multiple Phones

From hands-free headsets to Apple CarPlay and Mercedes-Benz's recent implementation of ChatGPT into select cars' MBUX, maintaining access to smartphone functionality while keeping focus on the road is easier than ever. As far as the latter's concerned, though, having multiple iPhone users in the same vehicle can lead to a distracting situation. But there's no need to debate over whose playlist will serve as the soundtrack for your next road trip, though, because multiple iPhones can now share command of Apple CarPlay's music playback through SharePlay. With the upcoming expansion of SharePlay, though, this problem is set to be a thing of the past.

SharePlay has long been a convenient way of sharing media with friends and family through a FaceTime call, via Apple TV. Through Apple Music, a group playlist can be created, with each of the users able to independently contribute chosen songs, skip and so on. This organized musical chaos, this collaborative spirit, has now made its way to CarPlay.

The new functionality, which began rolling out in June 2023 as part of the iOS 17 update (whose public beta is available now), sees the "main" iPhone — typically the driver's privilege — connect to CarPlay and open up Apple Music. They must be subscribed to the service to use CarPlay with SharePlay, but the additional iPhones that join in have no such requirement. They will, however, need iOS 17 installed. With that, the driver can toggle the Discoverable By Nearby Contacts option by scrolling down from the Now Playing Menu. Alternatively, other iPhones can scan the QR code on that same menu. Either way, the music selection can now become a group effort.

Setting up CarPlay on your iPhone with a compatible vehicle is extremely easy. Here's how:

1. Open your iPhone's main Settings menu.
2. Select General, then CarPlay.
3. In the Available Cars menu, select the appropriate vehicle from the list (ensuring said vehicle has its wireless connectivity enabled).
4. With the car's voice control button pressed, CarPlay will activate.

Directly connecting the iPhone to your vehicle via USB is also an option. Either way, though, the issue drivers and passengers have run into is that only that particular iPhone will have control over the audio that plays, and another could not be connected without disconnecting the first. CarPlay compatibility has come to SharePlay, and along with it, passengers now have some influence over an Apple Music playlist.

Which song's up next? Well, that's up for discussion. The driver does have veto power, but hopefully everyone's musical taste is somewhat similar. Otherwise, you could be in for a very, very long drive indeed.