CarPlay App Review checklist
CarPlay is a constrained, driver-context surface. The right question is not what the iPhone app can do, but what is appropriate and supported in the vehicle.
Confirm the app category is eligible for CarPlay, request the correct entitlement, and design only the driver-appropriate workflow for the vehicle display. Apple CarPlay documentation lists categories such as audio, communication, navigation, parking, EV charging, and food ordering. AppReviewReady interpretation: review the CarPlay surface as a separate safety-critical product.
Confirm CarPlay category fit
Do not build a CarPlay interface because the iPhone app has a map or playlist. The app should match a supported CarPlay category and the vehicle workflow should be useful while driving or parked according to that category.
Write the CarPlay job separately from the iPhone job: start navigation, resume audio, send a simple message, find charging, order a saved item, or manage a parking session. Remove anything that encourages long reading, browsing, account management, or complex configuration.
Match entitlement and templates
- Request the CarPlay entitlement for the correct app category before relying on the interface.
- Use supported CarPlay templates and avoid custom interaction patterns that do not fit the driving context.
- Keep text short, controls predictable, and flows shallow.
- Test what appears on iPhone and CarPlay when a session starts, ends, or loses connection.
Design for driving safety and interruption
CarPlay users may be moving, listening, navigating, and handling interruptions. The app should not require free-form text, long lists, complex account changes, or visual precision while driving.
AppReviewReady interpretation: every CarPlay screen should answer why it belongs in the car. If the answer is marketing exposure or feature parity, leave it on iPhone.
Test simulator and vehicle states
- Run the CarPlay Simulator and verify launch, reconnection, and route to the primary task.
- Test no network, no account, expired subscription, denied permissions, and interrupted audio or navigation states.
- Confirm the iPhone app stays consistent with the CarPlay state.
- Verify Siri, notifications, and deep links do not send users into unsupported CarPlay screens.
- Check screenshots, metadata, and Review Notes for category-specific claims.
Provide a CarPlay review route
The review route should be short and category-specific. Do not ask the reviewer to explore the full iPhone app to discover what CarPlay is supposed to do.
If the app changes behavior while parked versus driving, document that boundary. The CarPlay surface should not expose long setup, browsing, or account-management flows merely because they are technically possible in a simulator.
Keep emergency and distraction-sensitive claims narrow. A vehicle app should not imply it can replace driver attention, official safety systems, or emergency services unless the product is specifically built and authorized for that role.
Test dark appearance, route interruption, incoming calls, and audio focus changes as separate review states.
CarPlay review path: Category: [audio, navigation, EV charging] Entitlement: [requested/granted] Simulator route: [steps] Primary vehicle task: [task] Permissions: [location, microphone] Unavailable states: [network/account] Expected CarPlay screen: [template]
Primary references checked for this guide
Policy statements above are grounded in the linked Apple documentation. Operational recommendations are AppReviewReady's interpretation and should be tested against your app and the current guideline text.
Check CarPlay readiness
Review category fit, entitlement, templates, and driver-context states before submission.
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