What is Apple CarPlay?
In 2014 Apple put together a platform for car manufacturers to integrate Apple - or IOS devices - with their in-car infotainment systems. This platform is Apple CarPlay.
How Do You Connect My iPhone to My Suzuki?
Suzuki, over the last couple of years has been introducing Bluetooth technology - the Suzuki Connect App, which will allow you to connect your phone directly to your car's infotainment system. To do this, you need an iPhone (iOS v11 or later) with the Lightning connector and a USB cable that connects into one of the USB ports on your car's centre console.
You will need to download the compatible apps onto your phone, available for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. These are free downloads from the Apple App store, or Google Play for Android phones.
Once you have downloaded the App this will then require you to register. During this process you will need to enter some information about the car such as your registered phone number when you brought the car, and its VIN number as an example.
Once Registered and paired you can then start to get information about your car, such as where it is parked to where you are now, and other features, such as the ability to share your location with friends and family.
Suzuki Apple CarPlay Phone to Car Setup Guide
How Do You Use Wireless and Wired AppleCarPlay with your Suzuki?
If you are wondering “How Do You Connect Apple CarPlay to My Suzuki?”, “How Do You Activate CarPlay in My Suzuki?”, or “How Do You Set Up Suzuki CarPlay?”, then not to worry as this simple step-by-step guide will help you through it with ease.
1) Firstly, make sure you have the CarPlay App installed. To do this look for it on your phone. If you can not find it, please go to the Apple App Store and download the App.
2) It is highly recommended that you are running the latest version of IOS on your iPhone. To do this go to settings and make sure your software is up-to-date.
3) Now connect your Apple Lightning to USB cable to your phone’s charging point, then plug it into the USB port. This USB port is normally underneath the entertainment system.
If your model supports wireless CarPlay, then you may also be able to connect it without a cable. To do this, make sure your radio / stereo system is in Bluetooth mode, then press and hold the voice command button. Next to your iPhone’s settings, General and then CarPlay and you will be able to select your car to connect to within there.
4) On the iPhone a message will then appear saying something similar to: “Allow Apple CarPlay with “Suzuki” while the phone is locked. Your contacts and other information will appear on the car’s display, without unlocking your iPhone”. Click Allow.
5) You may then need to wait a few moments for a notification to appear on the Suzuki’s touchscreen.
6) When the notification appears, similar to “Do you want to use Apple CarPlay? Bluetooth will be discontinued” appears, please click the tick button on the right-hand side to connect your phone to the Suzuki via Apple CarPlay
7) Once connected the Apply CarPlay icon will say “Connected” on the Suzuki’s touchscreen.
8) Click the Apple Car Play icon - normally bottom right of the touchscreen, and this will bring your compatible iPhone’s Apps on the touchscreen. These can include:
- Phone App
- Music App
- Maps App
- Messages App
- Now Playing App
- Podcasts App
- Audiobooks App
What Apps Work With Suzuki’s Apple CarPlay?
The Suzuki Apple CarPlay’s App’s will allow you to connect to your iPhone in a number of different ways. Some of these include WhatsApp Messenger, Amazon Music, Spotify, Audible Apps and lots more.
Let’s dive deeper into what some of the main Apple Apps that appear on the touchscreen and what these can do.
Phone App
This App lets you sync your contacts in your iPhone directly to the car. When people call you, this will then be played via the car’s interface and allows you to talk to the user without needing to use the phone directly.
You can also call and talk to people via using Apple CarPlay without needing to use your phone directly to do so.
If you have any missed calls and notifications this will also show in the top right-hand side of the phone icon with the number of notifications you have.
Music App
Any music on your phone or can be streamed can then be played through the car.
Map App
This lets you use Google Maps, within your Suzuki which has constant live updates, and can be used as a navigation system, along with giving you information about places around you.
Messages App
The Messages App in your Suzuki, will place text messages as they occur on your screen. You can then select to reply to them, or have them read allowed to you.
NowPlaying App
This gives you information on the current music etc, that is playing in your Suzuki.
Podcasts App
The Podcasts App lets you play Podcasts that are on your iPhone through the Suzuki’s speakers directly from your phone.
AudioBooks App
Similar to the Podcasts App, this Apple CarPlay App lets you play AudioBooks stored on your iPhone directly through the Suzuki’s in-car speakers directly from your phone.
Suzuki’s Voice Recognition button
While using the Suzuki’s Apple CarPlay feature, if you hold the voice recognition button on the right-hand side of the touchscreen this will activate Siri - the iPhone’s personal assistant - in the car. You can then talk to it directly without needing to use your phone.
On some Suzuki models, there can also be a voice recognition button on the steering wheel itself. If you tap this, you will hear the Apple beep, then the Suzuki will then listen for your voice Commands and pass this to Siri to action for you.
How to navigate the Suzuki Apple CarPlay interface
Navigating Apple CarPlay on a Suzuki is really simple and something Suzuki has thought a lot about.
To enter an app, simply click the icon you want to use. This will then present you with some more options for that app.
To leave an App on Apple CarPlay you have already entered, and to go back up a level, use the bottom left circle icon on the touchscreen.
You can also use the voice recognition button - normally to the right and the middle button of the Suzuki touchscreen. This will then activate Siri, which you can then give her voice commands such as: ‘Get directions to the nearest petrol station”, “Call Jack Miller”, or “Play more songs like this one”.
Which Suzuki Cars come with Apple CarPlay?
The current Suzuki Models below should all be able to support Apple CarPlay in some form - be it wireless or wired. However, you should consult your car’s manual and year of purchase to know for certain if your model does.
Why is my Apple CarPlay not connecting to my Suzuki?
There can be a number of reasons why Apple CarPlay may not connect to your Suzuki. Let's run through the most common reasons below.
1) Is your Suzuki compatible with Apple CarPlay?
First thing to check is that your Suzuki comes with Apple CarPlay as standard. Not all models do, especially older models. If it doesn’t you should not worry as you may be able to purchase an add on for your Suzuki, that may help to give you and your Suzuki more functionality to use Apple CarPlay features indirectly via the addon.
2) Can the Lightning USB port send data when the phone is locked?
To check if this is enabled on your phone, go to Settings, followed by Touch ID and Passcode on your iPhone. Then scroll down to the section that says: Allow Access When Locked, and make sure USB accessories are enabled.
This will then allow your Lightning USB port to connect to other devices - such as Apple CarPlay, when your phone is locked.
3) Is Siri enabled on your iPhone?
For Apple CarPlay to work Siri needs to be enabled.
How do I check if Siri is enabled on my phone?
To check if Siri is enabled, on your iPhone go to Settings. Then when you are in settings go to: Siri and Search. This will then bring up your Siri’s settings. A few settings to make sure are turned on are: Listen for “Hey Siri”, and Enable Siri. If these are off, and you are happy to do so, please enable these.
You will then see a popup on your iPhone, saying: “Siri sends information like your voice input, contacts, and location to Apple to process your requests.” Followed by an Enable Siri Button. You then need to click the Enable Siri button to enable this feature.
4) Cable issues
If none of the above work the next thing to try would be to change your Lightning USB cable out for a different one. As sometimes the connectors on the cable can get damaged to send data, especially if they are not the official Apple ones.
Does Suzuki Support Wireless CarPlay?
Yes, certain models do support wireless connection as well as a wired CarPlay connection.
How Do You Connect My Bluetooth to My Suzuki?
To connect your Bluetooth to your Suzuki, you need an Android Auto or Apple CarPlay compatible device. Once you connect the device, it should automatically recognize the initiated Bluetooth connection and ask if this is correct; say yes for the car system to pair with the mobile phone.
How Do You Connect My Android Phone to My Suzuki?
You can either connect your phone to your car with Android Auto using USB, or Bluetooth. If you'd like to connect via Bluetooth, ensure you pair your phone with the car first, and that your car has Bluetooth functionality built in to it. Then, you'll be able to access your phone directly through the vehicle.
To do this, press the green bordered "Call" on your infotainment system. If you want to use Android Auto over USB instead of Bluetooth, connect it using a cable and follow the prompts on the screen.
Which Suzuki Cars come with Android Auto?
The current Suzuki Models below should all be able to support Android Auto in some form - be it wireless or wired. However, you should consult your car’s manual and year of purchase to know for certain if your model does.
How Do You Set Up Suzuki Android Auto?
The first thing you need to do is plug your phone into the USB port of your car. After plugging your phone into the USB port, please wait for a minute or two for it to pair with Suzuki Bluetooth with Android auto.
Then, go into Settings and then touch the screen to get it working.
How Do You Use Android Auto?
The first time you connect your phone to the car, you will need to read and accept the terms of service. If it is a new phone or an existing phone you haven't connected to before, the next step is to go into your phone's settings and pair it with the car. It will vary by phone and connectivity method available with your car model - some models for instance don’t support Bluetooth, and instead you will need to use a wired connection; however, the process usually involves going into your settings menu and looking for a Bluetooth or "Paired device" section.
After pairing is complete, you are ready to go. The next time you connect your phone, the car will automatically power on and start looking for your device.