These days, Apple CarPlay can be found in every vehicle.
The whole lot, except for watching YouTube videos.
Many people are curious if you can use CarPlay to play YouTube videos, despite the fact that it offers a number of useful features for music, navigation, calls, and calendars.
Apple doesn’t allow direct YouTube playback in CarPlay for obvious security reasons. There are, however, ways around this, such as downloading a third-party programme specifically for this purpose.
In this article, we’ll investigate the reasons why CarPlay doesn’t support YouTube and the workarounds available when this limitation becomes an issue.
Why You Can’t Watch the Apple CarPlay YouTube App
While it may seem harmless, watching videos on YouTube while driving is a dangerous practise. Because of safety concerns and potential legal repercussions for the corporations involved, viewing it while driving presents a challenge.
This is also why other video streaming services, like as Netflix and Hulu, are incompatible with Apple’s CarPlay.
A movie screen that a driver can see is illegal in most jurisdictions.
If you get into an accident while watching a video in CarPlay, Apple is responsible and may face significant legal action as a result.

Workarounds To Watch YouTube With Apple CarPlay
Apple CarPlay can be used to stream YouTube in some scenarios.
If you aren’t the driver or if your car is parked, this feature can be really helpful.
Some of the methods we’ll go through don’t require a jailbreak, which is a big plus.
Instead, it’s important to make use of your phone’s many functions and features, as well as any applicable third-party apps.
Watching YouTube Through Screen Mirroring
Not every car will be compatible, but for most modern models, this is a terrific method to view YouTube. Here, you may easily mirror your mobile device’s YouTube session on the stereo set’s display.
Simply follow the steps for screen mirroring to a TV.
If you’d rather use the screen in the car, you may do so by selecting it, but the software you’ll be using won’t be CarPlay.
Using Third-Party Apps To Watch YouTube
It is also possible to utilise a third-party app to watch YouTube videos while driving with CarPlay. It’s a bit more work than using a screen mirror, but it should work every time.
Though there are several apps available, I find CarBridge to be the most useful in this regard. If you want to use YouTube while driving, you can’t do so with CarPlay alone, but with CarBridge you can.
There are a few things to consider, though, before setting up CarBridge.
As a first step, make sure your phone is in portrait orientation. You should also turn on background refresh and disable low-power mode.
The settings on your iPhone allow you to customise all of these options.
After the app is downloaded and installed, all you have to do is link your phone to your car’s CarPlay screen. This can be accomplished wirelessly or via USB.
Below is a brief explanation of how to access YouTube within the CarBridge app:
- Go to your phone settings and click on the CarBridge app.
- Tap Bridged Applications.
- Tap on YouTube to add it to your bridged applications.
- Browse and watch.
*This only works with IOS 15 and lower at the time of writing. If you have updated to IOS 16, you will have to wait for this to become compatible.
**Additionally, this is not an apple approved system, so expect bugs and issues if you go down this route.
What’s the Difference Between Audio and Video? They’re Both Distracted Driving
At first glance, the difference between audio and video while driving may not appear to be significant.
In CarPlay, listening to an Audible audiobook is similar to watching a movie in terms of engrossment, but there are key differences.
The purpose of television is to keep you watching.
The show’s or video’s scenes flash on and off the screen at a regulated tempo that maintains your full attention.
Also, the brain enters an Alpha State whenever we watch TV, regardless of the screen kind.
Different kinds of waves are constantly being generated in our brains:
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- Delta Brainwaves (1-3 Hz): These are the slowest of all brainwaves. They take place when we are in deep, healing sleep. They are most associated with the subconscious.
- Theta Brainwaves (4-7 Hz): Theta waves put us in a sort of dream state. They appear most often with deep meditation and during the time between being awake and asleep.
- Alpha Brainwaves (8-12 Hz): Alpha brainwaves are slower and larger. They put us in a state of relaxation, with the brain almost in a state of idleness. It’s simply waiting to respond if it has to, but awareness significantly decreases during this time.
- Beta Brainwaves (13-38 Hz): These are smaller and faster. Beta brainwaves are where we spend most of our time, and they’re where we are most aware of the world around us. They are associated with alertness and high concentration.
- Gamma Brainwaves (39-42 Hz): These are the fastest brainwaves. They are also the most subtle. These brainwaves control perception and consciousness.
So, why do brainwaves matter?
They’re significant since your brainwaves reveal your level of concentration on the road. Watching a video is nearly like entering an alpha level of consciousness. This is because of how frequently the video vibrates.
That suggests you have far less awareness now.
Most forms of audio entertainment, such as audiobooks, music, podcasts, and so on, are not effective at inducing an alpha state unless they are explicitly tailored to do so.
As a result, you have heightened awareness while behind the wheel.
Furthermore, your attention is diverted from the road and onto the screen when you view a movie while driving.
Even though the same thing occurs whether choosing music to play or reading the GPS, it only lasts a fraction of the time.
When watching TV, you frequently look away and back, but when viewing YouTube, you tend to gaze at the screen the whole time.
Final Thoughts
Using YouTube videos while driving with CarPlay is possible, but it typically requires a third-party software or screen mirroring.
You’re much better off listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks instead.
There is so much to listen to, and it’s usually always more interesting than watching a video.
You’ll need a YouTube Premium subscription to stream videos or music using the YouTube Music CarPlay app, but it’s compatible and works wonderfully if that’s your main concern.
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