EXCLUSIVE: BYD Atto3 gets Apple CarPlay from January

When I first saw the BYD Atto3 I liked the look of it. When I first drove the Atto3 I was impressed and started to want one. But for me Apple CarPlay is a dealbreaker and while BYD have told us it’s coming I’m always one to wait for the proof to be in the pudding.

Well, I can confirm for you that they have come through with their promise and CarPlay is in the final stages of testing and approvals ready for deployment to the 1,000+ BYD Atto3’s already on the roads in Australia.

EVDirect, the importer of BYD Cars in Australia told EFTM they “have been testing the technology and working through the data and regulatory process as efficiently as possible and excitingly it is now ready to go.”

I’ve been driving one of the test cars, and the implementation is excellent.

It’s fast, responsive and works as well as almost any other Apple CarPlay implementation i’ve seen. It’s probably the largest version I’ve seen too – taking up the full 12.8 inch centre infotainment screen.

Luke Todd from EVDirect told EFTM “This is a comprehensive technological rollout and Apple CarPlay will be sent to customers via an over the air (OTA) update in batches throughout the month’s of January and February 2023 and will come as standard with all new BYD ATTO3’s from late January 2023 onwards.“

If you’re an Atto3 owner, don’t get flustered, it’s coming – there’s nothing you can do to rush it through – because I know the owner forums will be hanging for it.

Todd says “We will be contacting all Australian customers early in the new year to pre-notify the timing of when they will receive their ‘over the air’ for Apple CarPlay.“

While I’ve not done a comprehensive review, I’ve used it for about 2 hours of driving, with Mapping, Spotify, Apple Music, and streaming radio and it’s been great.

There are two questions I think most people will have.

Firstly, It’s wired, not wireless, and while BYD did not specifically mention this, there was talk of the first iteration of CarPlay being wired, so it’s likely that’s an update for another day.

Secondly, it is configured only for Landscape mode. So if you flick your magic button and rotate the screen you’re going to get a sore neck using CarPlay. But it looks sensational on the big-screen