How to Set Up CarPlay in Your Rivian (R1T, R1S & R2)

I set up CarPlay-style rigs in cars for a living, and Rivians come up a lot. I've done this in a friend's R1T and again in a rental R1S. Both times the goal was the same: get Apple Maps, messages, and my music one glance away, without fighting the car's own screen. This is the exact setup I use, in order.

If you're still deciding whether you even want a workaround, start with does Rivian have Apple CarPlay— it covers why Rivian skips it and what the native system already does. This guide assumes you've decided to set one up and just wants the steps.

What you actually need before you start

You need three things: your iPhone, a phone mount, and five minutes. You do not need a wireless CarPlay adapter or a dongle. Rivian's screen is closed, so a Carlinkit or Ottocast box has nothing to plug into — those only work on cars that already have CarPlay built in.

• An iPhone on a recent iOS version (iOS 17 or later is fine).
• A mount— a suction or vent mount works. A Peak Design or iOttie mount sits cleanly to the right of the R1T's steering column.
• A charging cableor a wireless pad, so a mounted phone running maps all day doesn't die. The R1T and R1S both have USB-C ports in the console.

That's the whole shopping list. Everything below is free software already on your phone, plus one optional app.

Start here

The five-minute version: turn your iPhone into the CarPlay screen the Rivian doesn't have

Car Play Connect's Mount Mode runs big-tap, glance-safe widgets — maps, music, calls, messages — on a mounted iPhone. No adapter, no wiring, works in any R1T, R1S, or R2. Free to try.

Car Play Connect: Auto Sync

4.6·2,300+ ratings·Free to try

Download on theApp Store

Point your camera to install

Step 1: Set up your iPhone for the car

Do this once and every drive gets safer. The point is to make the phone read things aloud and stop lighting up while you drive, so a glance is all you ever need.

1. Open Settings → Focus → Driving. Set it to turn on Automatically when the phone senses car motion, or when it connects to your Rivian over Bluetooth.
2. Under that same Driving Focus, turn on Auto-Reply so texts get a hands-free response, and allow calls from Favorites.
3. Turn on “Hey Siri” in Settings → Siri so you can start navigation and send messages without touching the screen.
4. Pair the phone to the Rivian over Bluetooth so calls and podcasts route through the car speakers.

When it won't help:the Driving Focus can misfire if you ride as a passenger a lot — you'll get the “are you driving?” prompt. That's a fair trade for hands-free texts. You can always switch it to activate on the Rivian's Bluetooth only.

Step 2: Mount the iPhone where CarPlay would sit

Placement is the difference between a setup you actually use and one you ignore. You want the phone high and to the right of the wheel, near your natural sightline to the road — not down by the shifter.

• R1T: the flat dash to the right of the steering column takes a suction or adhesive mount well. Angle it slightly toward you.
• R1S: the dash curves more, so a vent mount on the driver-side vent is usually steadier than suction.
• Keep it clear of the airbag path and don't block your view of the road. Run the charge cable down to the console USB-C port.

When it won't work: a cheap suction mount will drop the phone on a hot day. Spend a little on a clamp or adhesive base. This is the one part where the bargain option actually costs you.

Step 3: Run a CarPlay-style dashboard on the phone

Now make the phone act like a CarPlay screen instead of a normal home screen. You have a free route and an app route, and both are honest options.

The free route: open Apple Maps (or Waze), start a route so the big turn card fills the screen, and keep your music app one swipe away. Set the phone to never auto-lock while charging: Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock → Never. It works, but you're juggling apps and the buttons stay phone-sized.

The app route: run Mount Mode in Car Play Connect. It puts big, glance-safe widgets — maps, now-playing, calls, messages, speed — on one dark screen sized for driving, the same layout logic CarPlay uses. Tap targets are large, so you're not aiming at tiny icons at 70 mph. For which widgets are worth pinning, see the widgets guide.

When it won't work:neither route talks to the Rivian's steering-wheel controls or its screen. This is a second surface, not a takeover of the built-in display. If that bothers you, jump to Step 5.

The no-hardware route

Let the Rivian handle the map and let your phone handle everything Apple

Car Play Connect turns a mounted iPhone into a glance-safe dashboard for the parts Rivian's system skips — Apple Maps, dictation, messages, lyrics on screen. Five-minute setup, nothing added to the cabin.

Car Play Connect: Auto Sync

Free to try

Download on theApp Store

Point your camera to install

Step 4: Sign into Rivian's own apps on the big screen

Here's the part angry forum threads skip: the Rivian screen already does most of what people open CarPlay for. Set it up properly and your phone only has to cover the gaps.

• Apple Music is a native app on the Rivian screen (added in 2024). Sign in once and it streams with no phone connection. Spotify, Tidal, and Audible are there too.
• Native navigationuses Google's map data with EV-aware routing and charging stops. Set your home and work so one tap plans the trip.
• Voice is Alexa today, with a Google Gemini-based assistant rolling out, for hands-free media and climate.

What the native side still misses: Apple Maps, iMessage dictation, and third-party CarPlay apps like Waze. Those are exactly the jobs your mounted phone from Steps 2 and 3 now covers. The two screens split the work instead of fighting.

Step 5 (optional): Add an aftermarket CarPlay screen

Want the real CarPlay interface — Apple Maps, Messages, third-party apps, all on a proper display? A standalone aftermarket screen is the only route. Units built for Rivian (the EV Play display is the best known, around $400) add their own screen that runs native CarPlay on its own, independent of Rivian's locked display.

How it works:the unit is its own Android-based screen with CarPlay and Android Auto built in. It doesn't project onto the Rivian display — you're adding a third surface to the cabin. Installation means mounting it and running power, which is more involved than a phone mount.

When it won't work:placing it without spoiling Rivian's minimalist interior is genuinely hard, and it ignores the car's own controls. Weigh it like any dedicated unit — my field notes on standalone boxes are in the wireless CarPlay adapter guide. Plenty of owners who buy a screen sell it within a few months.

The routes side by side

The same three setups, lined up on the things that decide which one you live with day to day.

For most people, Steps 1–4 are the whole answer: native apps on the big screen, a mounted phone for the Apple bits. This is the same situation Tesla owners lived with for years — except Tesla has at least said CarPlay is on the way, while Rivian hasn't. I compared that difference in does Tesla have Apple CarPlay. GM took the same path with its newer EVs — see which GM models kept Apple CarPlay for that gas-versus-EV split — and if you're still car-shopping, which cars have Apple CarPlay lists the brands that ship it standard.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get Apple CarPlay in my Rivian?

You set it up on your iPhone, because no Rivian has built-in CarPlay. Mount the phone beside the wheel, run a CarPlay-style dashboard on it, and let the Rivian screen keep maps and charging. For the full native interface, add a separate aftermarket CarPlay screen (around $400). No adapter can unlock the Rivian's own display.

Does a wireless CarPlay adapter work in a Rivian?

No. Wireless adapters like Carlinkit or Ottocast only add wireless CarPlay to cars that already have CarPlay built in. A Rivian has none, and its screen is closed, so the adapter has nothing to connect to. Use a phone mount or a standalone aftermarket screen instead — those are the only routes that actually work.

What's the best way to mount an iPhone in a Rivian?

Put it high and to the right of the steering wheel, near your sightline to the road. On the R1T, a suction or adhesive mount on the flat dash works well. On the R1S, a vent mount is usually steadier. Run a charge cable to the console USB-C port so an all-day maps screen never dies.

Can I use Apple Maps in a Rivian?

Yes, but only on your phone, not the Rivian screen. Rivian's native navigation uses Google's map data, and Apple Maps isn't built in. To use Apple Maps specifically, run it on a mounted iPhone or an aftermarket CarPlay screen. Apple Music, by contrast, is a native app on the Rivian display and needs no phone.

Is there a CarPlay app for Rivian?

There's no app that adds CarPlay to the Rivian screen itself — the display is locked. What you can do is run a CarPlay-style dashboard app such as Car Play Connect on a mounted iPhone. It mirrors the big-tap, glance-safe layout CarPlay uses, so the phone covers the Apple side while the car handles the rest.

Will Rivian add Apple CarPlay later?

Don't plan on it. As of 2026 Rivian has made no announcement and its CEO keeps calling the decision to skip CarPlay deliberate. Treat a phone mount or an aftermarket screen as a permanent setup, not a stopgap. You can confirm Rivian isn't on Apple's official CarPlay vehicle list any time a forum post claims otherwise.