Is there a dictation app that works with CarPlay?

No general dictation app types into the CarPlay screen. We found no route in Apple's CarPlay rules that lets a general dictation app type into the car's display. Voice messages in the car go through Siri. A messaging app can offer dictation in CarPlay if it is built on Apple's messaging rules. A 2018 report says WhatsApp's CarPlay app let you start a new message by dictation ¹. For most people, the practical choice is Siri in the car, plus a messaging app's own CarPlay icon if it has one.

CarPlay sends voice messages through Siri

Apple's developer guide says: "Communication apps enable communication features via SiriKit Messaging and/or VoIP Calling." ² SiriKit is Apple's framework that lets Siri act for an app, so a messaging app's voice features in the car run through Siri.

The rules for a messaging app are specific. A communication app that offers text messaging must support three SiriKit intents: sending a message, requesting a list of messages and modifying a message's attributes ³. An app that supports all three intents can start a message by voice in the car. An app that lacks any of them does not meet Apple's rule for text messaging.

The car can take away the keyboard

Typing in the car depends on the car. Apple's guide says: "In many cars the keyboard is not available at all while driving." ⁴ iOS also turns the keyboard off when the car signals it, and it shortens long lists at the same time ⁵.

So a dictation app that depends on a text field may find no field to type into. In those cars, Siri and the voice features of messaging apps are the practical ways to enter text by voice.

What you can dictate in the car today

Siri on iPhone. Apple says: "With iOS 15 and later, Siri can announce your incoming messages in your car." ⁶ Siri reads the sender and the message aloud. For a long message, it says who sent it and you can ask it to read the full text. This needs no extra app, but it needs iOS 15 or later.

Messaging apps with their own CarPlay icon. In 2018, 9to5Mac reported on WhatsApp's CarPlay app and said that you can tap on the icon to start sending a new message using dictation ¹. The same report said you cannot browse your list of conversations. We did not find a current list of apps that offer this. The report is from 2018, so check each app in the car before you rely on it.

Android Auto. The Android route is Gemini. Google says that you can start Gemini in Android Auto by saying Hey Google, pressing the mic button on the car screen, or long pressing the voice control button on the steering wheel ⁷. Gemini is a voice assistant rather than a dictation app, so test what it actually writes and sends in your own car.

It depends on the app, the car and the phone

Three things decide the answer, and you can check each one yourself.

• The messaging app. Whether it offers dictation in CarPlay depends on how the app was built. Look for its icon on the car's screen, then try it in a parked car.
• The car. Whether a keyboard appears depends on the car. Apple's guide says many cars do not show one while driving.
• The phone. Siri's message announcements need iOS 15 or later, so an older iPhone may not offer them.

For a long document, dictate on a Mac or Windows PC, or on your phone, where you can read and correct the text before you send it. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows, and it also runs on phones. The download page lists the platforms it runs on.

What to do

1. Turn on Siri's message announcements. Open the Settings app, tap Notifications, tap Announce Notifications, tap CarPlay, then turn on Announce Messages.
2. Check your messaging apps on the car's screen. Look for each app's CarPlay icon. If it is there, tap it and see whether it starts a new message by voice.
3. Test in a parked car. Dictate a two-sentence message, then check the text on your iPhone before you send it. Do this before you drive, not while you drive.
4. Draft long text away from the car. Use the guide to the best dictation software to choose a tool for your Mac, PC or phone.

If dictation fails in the car, read why dictation is not working in CarPlay. For the Android side, see voice commands not working in Android Auto. The iPhone's own dictation is a separate question, covered in whether iPhone dictation works offline. For the terms used here, read the entries for Siri and voice command. The wider overview is dictation software.