5 CarPlay voice commands I use to make driving a snap

• Navigate/get directions to…
• Music, audiobook, and podcast commands
• Sending and reading messages
• Calling people
• How long will it take to get to…

A memory that’s forever etched in my brain is the time a former friend of mine started sending a T9 text while she was driving us down a Texas highway. If you’re unfamiliar, T9 is the predictive system that “dumb” cellphones used to use for their numberpads. It was frustrating enough when you were stationary, never mind hurtling along at 60mph. I forget what I said to this friend, exactly — but she definitely understood that I was not happy.

Tapping icons on a CarPlay touchscreen is a lot safer by comparison, but still something that should be minimized, since even a few seconds can spell the difference between spotting a threat and hitting it. That is, naturally, why every CarPlay-ready vehicle is also equipped for Siri, Apple’s voice assistant. These are some of the voice commands you should be using on a regular basis if you aren’t already. For the sake of brevity, note that all of these should be spoken after holding down the voice command button on your steering wheel.

Navigate/get directions to…

Not just for Apple Maps anymore

This might be the most obvious pick for driving, but there are some nuances worth exploring. The first is that while these commands default to Apple Maps, you can force CarPlay to use another app by specifying that. You might, for example, say “Navigate to Eevee’s using Google Maps,” or “Navigate home using Waze.” If you use a vague label like “home” or “work,” you’ll have to have that configured in an app ahead of your trip — CarPlay doesn’t automatically share bookmarks.

If you ask for directions to a chain store or a general business category, Siri should still oblige, and simply ask you to select a particular location onscreen when appropriate.

In fact, precise addresses work best, but if you ask for directions to a chain store or a general business category, Siri should still oblige, and simply ask you to select a particular location onscreen when appropriate. If you’ve got a gas car, “Get directions to the nearest gas station” will pop up options based on your current GPS location. I’m not certain if “Get directions to the nearest EV charger” is fully integrated yet, but it should turn up results based on keywords alone.

If you feel lucky, you can try navigating based on broad queries like “Where can I find some good sushi?” or “Where can I ship a package?” You probably shouldn’t trust Apple Maps reviews alone for where you eat, mind.

Music, audiobook, and podcast commands

Semi-common instruction sets

As with navigation, Apple supports more than just its own apps for audio, but you’ll have to specify the app if you don’t want something to play in Apple Music, Apple Books, or Apple Podcasts. In my case, I have to say something like “Play The Crow by DJ Food in Spotify” if I want to hear a song, since I don’t have an Apple Music subscription, and I rarely have MP3 files synced.

Some commands are unique to the type of app you’re using. For music, you can try the likes of “Shuffle my Carving the Streets playlist in Spotify,” which will avoid playing songs one-by-one or listening to them in the same order every time. You may run into barriers, though — if you want to listen to a podcast or audiobook, it’s safer to try “Play 5 CarPlay voice commands I use to make driving a snap in [app]” instead of something like “Resume the latest episode of the Giant Bombcast in Overcast.”

All audio apps tend to support the same general playback commands, such as “Play,” “Pause,” “Skip ahead/fast-forward [time amount],” or “Rewind/go back [time amount].” You should also be able to skip forward and backward between tracks and chapters.

Sending and reading messages

With one good excuse to use a touchscreen instead

If you’ve got a vehicle with CarPlay (or Android Auto for that matter), there’s really no excuse at all for pulling out your phone to text. Even if voice dictation can sometimes be cumbersome or inaccurate, that’s far preferable to the chance of getting rear-ended or wrapped around a light pole.

Often, the only commands you need to know are “Send a message to [contact name]” or “What are my messages?” The first should ask you which app you want to use if the same name appears in multiple places, or go straight to asking what you want to say if there’s only one entry. The second command reads out any recent unread texts. If necessary, you can specify which app to use by adding “in [app name]” to the end of a command.

Often, the only commands you need to know are “Send a message to [contact name]” or “What are my messages?”

When it comes to the content of what you send, don’t forget to dictate punctuation. Things might seem easier without it, but leaving out periods, commas, and question marks tends to look impersonal, and can sometimes be confusing in the “eats shoots and leaves” sense.

There is one instance in which I’d suggest turning to a screen, and that’s if you can make use of the Tapback support introduced with iOS 26. This is limited to Apple Messages so far, but it’s potentially less distracting to tap a thumbs-up or thumbs-down emoji than concentrate on dictating a full-length response.

Calling people

Straightforward, but remember your options

There should be no great mystery to calling people in CarPlay, in part because voice-activated calling has been a thing in vehicles for decades. The most important thing is to have your contacts up-to-date and well-labeled on your iPhone before you get into the driver’s seat. If you reach the wrong person, you’ll have no easy way of correcting yourself unless you’re really adept at memorizing phone numbers.

Use “Call [contact name]” if you want to use regular carrier dialing, or something like “Call [contact] in WhatsApp” if you want to use VoIP instead. For FaceTime, you can say “FaceTime [contact]” to initiate an audio-only conversation, but the other person will need to use a web link to answer if they don’t have an Apple device. As a rule, I’d recommend a standard carrier call instead. “Dial/call [phone number]” is an option if you do happen to have a number handy.

How long will it take to get to…

Plus another basic shortcut

On an everyday basis, many of us are driving to familiar places for which turn-by-turn navigation would be an annoyance instead of a help. Yet we still need to know if we’re going to be late, especially if there’s the possibility of a detour around a traffic delay. Asking CarPlay “How long will it take to get to work?” can get you that info without having to launch a route in Apple Maps, or any other navigation app. Some related phrases include “How’s the traffic to [location]?” or just “What’s the traffic like?” if you’re already en route.

If you can’t remember a particular command for Siri, you can always resort to “Open [app name].”

A final tip I want to squeeze in here is that if you can’t remember a particular command for Siri, you can always resort to “Open [app name].” That will save you a couple of taps, and avoid taking your eyes off the road for any longer than you have to.