Gaia GPS now connects with CarPlay, bringing all of its detailed map sources to your vehicle’s dashboard screen. With turn-by-turn directions on saved routes in the Gaia GPS app, CarPlay offers hands-free navigation for a safer and more convenient driving experience on both city streets and backcountry roads.
Gaia GPS and CarPlay Basics
Gaia GPS in Apple CarPlay will allow you to:
- Display your Active map layers on the CarPlay screen
- Zoom in and out, pan the map in any direction, and toggle course-up mode
- View a list of your drivable Saved Routes.
- Note: only routes that are "drivable" will be displayed. Make sure to use driving mode when creating a route to ensure your route is drivable.
- The list shows only the closest 24 routes. See Routes list for more information.
- Follow turn-by-turn directions for the selected Saved Route
- Cancel Navigation
To use Gaia GPS with CarPlay you will need:
- Gaia GPS account
- iPhone series 5 or newer
- Gaia GPS app downloaded to the phone
- Apple CarPlay-supported vehicle
Note: Due to limitations set by Apple, CarPlay is not compatible with iPads.
See what iPhone models are compatible with CarPlay at the bottom of this page: https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/
To launch Gaia GPS on your CarPlay system:
- Connect your iPhone to your vehicle’s CarPlay system
- Select Gaia GPS from the dashboard screen
- It’s really that simple.
- If you’re having issues, you can find Troubleshooting steps from Apple here.
Using Carplay
Main Map
The main map will mirror the active map sources you have selected in the app.
To change the map source displayed on the CarPlay screen, change your active map source in the app.
And just like the app, if you plan to adventure offline or out of cell service range, make sure to download your maps for offline use before heading out.
Tapping the main map will unhide controls that will allow you to:
- change orientation from north-up to course-up
- pan the map north, south, east, and west
- zoom in and zoom out
Routes list
Tap the "Routes" button to pull up your saved routes.
Route Preview
Selecting a route will give you a preview. Select "Go" to start navigation.
Navigation view
Turn-by-turn directions will be displayed and voice commands will instruct you to your destination.
Exit Navigation
When you reach your destination, tap "OK" to exit navigation, or tap the main map and select "Cancel" to exit anytime.
Dark Mode in CarPlay
CarPlay has a separate dark mode setting.
If your CarPlay screen is displaying in dark mode even though your iPhone has dark mode disabled, you can follow these steps to change the setting:
- Connect your iPhone to your vehicle’s CarPlay system
- Open the Settings app in CarPlay
- Tap Appearance
- Change the setting from Always Dark to Automatic
Important note about feature availability and safety:
Due to the inherent risks of using a screen while operating a vehicle, Apple employs strict restraint on what features can be available and how the implementation can behave in CarPlay.
Routes List
Due to user safety concerns, Apple has strict limits on Carplay apps. To make the interface simple, Apple limits the list to 24 items.
The list is sorted from closest to farthest. The route should appear in the list once you are close to the start of it, but if needed you can delete routes from the app.
Deleting a route from the app archives it on the website, so it's not gone forever. Here's how to unarchive a deleted route: Archiving, Unarchiving, and Recovering Lost Data