Huawei CarPlay: Is It Compatible or Potential Alternatives?

Huawei is the second largest producer of smartphones.

So, you would expect that it would be compatible with CarPlay. 

Huawei phones are NOT compatible with CarPlay. This is because CarPlay is specifically designed for Apple devices, and Huawei phones are Android devices. However, there are alternatives for CarPlay – namely Android Auto. 

Today we’ll look at why Huawei isn’t compatible with CarPlay and discuss what else you can do to get your music and podcasts playing in your vehicle. 

Huawei CarPlay: Why is it Not Compatible

As I briefly mentioned, the reason that Huawei isn’t compatible with CarPlay is that Huawei is a producer of Android devices.

All phones from this manufacturer are Androids, which aren’t compatible with Apple-specific systems such as CarPlay.

Android and Apple are the two major operating systems in the smartphone world. While both have great features, they often aren’t compatible with one another.

Some apps function on both devices, while some are Apple or Android-specific. 

The same thing can happen with various software.

In general, however, when new software comes out, it is specific to the operating system type. This is precisely what happened in the case of Apple creating CarPlay. 

Overall, there are significantly more Android devices out there from a variety of manufacturers, including big names like Samsung and Huawei.

Interestingly enough, however, Apple tends to have more iOS-specific software.

If you don’t have an iPhone or other Apple device, you won’t be able to access it. 

What Other Option Is Available for Huawei Phones?

Now that we’ve established that Huawei phones will not work with CarPlay, let’s talk about another option that’s available to you: Android Auto. 

Android Auto is essentially Android’s version of CarPlay. Overall, it works as well as Apple CarPlay.

However, I will warn you that it has fewer features than CarPlay. In part, this is due to Google’s desire to keep drivers safer. The fewer available features, the safer the driver is likely to be. 

With Android Auto, you will see a simplified version of your phone’s screen on your car’s infotainment display.

While you can’t use all of your phone’s features through this, you can use certain features such as navigation, music streaming, messaging, and phone calls. 

So, how is it different from just using your phone? There are a few different things that are different.

One thing is that you’re able to use speech recognition software to navigate through Android Auto. You can activate this by simply saying, “Hey, Google.”

Another different feature is that you can navigate through the menu with your steering wheel alone. This frees up your hands and helps to keep your eyes on the road. 

This system is developed with car use in mind, and the navigation is significantly more accessible than on your phone. Android phones typically require multiple commands to get to where you’d like to go, and Android Auto makes this a little easier. 

The downside to Android Auto is the amount of data that it uses. The charges can add up quickly if you’re paying for data. Essentially everything you can do on Android Auto will be through data.

This gets even more expensive if you’re using navigation services.

How Much Does Android Auto Cost?

For a basic connection, the good news is that Android Auto is free.

You can download it from the Google Play Store if you have an older Huawei phone. However, if your phone is Android 10 or higher, it should be preinstalled on the device. 

So it costs the same as CarPlay, which is free.

What Vehicles Support Android Auto?

There are quite a few vehicle manufacturers that support Android Auto.

Here’s a quick run-through of the common ones that do so.

There are still a few vehicle manufacturers who don’t support it, but for the most part, Android Auto is as widely available as Apple CarPlay.  

See the full compatibility list here.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, CarPlay isn’t compatible with Huawei phones.

Usually, Apple’s software is only compatible with their operating systems. Since Huawei phones are Android devices, they don’t work with CarPlay.

In place of CarPlay, however, you can use Android Auto.

This has a variety of features that are similar to CarPlay. Although, the options are a bit more limited than in CarPlay.

Still, there’s a variety of options when it comes to Android Auto. In addition, it’s free to use, a valuable benefit not provided by CarPlay.