iPad Mini as a Custom Apple CarPlay

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4 months ago
#ipadmini

iPad Mini as a Custom Apple CarPlay

#iPadMini

Transcript

00:00My car has a problem. It has one of the smallest screens I've ever seen in a modern car.

00:06Before buying the car, I was like, it's just a radio, it's gonna be fine.

00:10Well, it turns out, I couldn't be more wrong. When you are used to have a user interface that looks

00:15as good as this, and then you have to go back to something like this, it's painful.

00:20So, I had to find a solution. My goal was to add Apple CarPlay to the original head unit,

00:26and after a quick search online, I was happy to find out that that solution actually exists,

00:32but my happiness didn't last long, as this solution only works with 7-inch screens,

00:38and the one I have is 5 inches.

00:42So, I kept searching and then I stumbled upon this video.

00:46Next level dashboard with iPad. By the end of that video, I decided to buy the iPad mini 6

00:52with the cellular version. I went with the iPad mini, because it's compact and really easy to

00:57carry around, and it's the one that fits better in my car. So, with the iPad sorted, I had to find

01:03a way to mount it. The prototype was to use it in a way that it wouldn't block the original screen,

01:09but I ended up changing my mind, because it looks much better the other way around.

01:15The car I'm using is the Volvo XC60, and lucky for me, I was able to create a custom holder,

01:20which sits right on top of the dashboard. This solution is tool-free, and I can remove it

01:26whenever I want. And the best part? It uses magnetics, so I can easily attach and remove the iPad.

01:33So, with the hardware out of the way, it is time to improve the software on the iPad

01:38for the best driving experience. To do that, we need three things. A dedicated focus mode for driving,

01:44a dedicated home screen page also for driving, and lastly, shortcuts.

01:49Let's start with the home page. To create a new one, long press an empty space on the home screen page,

01:54and then swap left. Now you have a new and empty home screen page that you can customize just the

02:01way you want. To add a new widget, click the edit button on the top left corner, then click add widget.

02:08Now select the widget you want, and then press add widget. Now we can start adding apps to the home

02:16screen page. To do that, go to the app library, then touch and hold the first app you want to add

02:22to the home screen, but don't let it go. Now, with your other hand, swap left back to the app library,

02:31and then tap all the apps you want to bring to the home page. Now with all the apps selected,

02:36swipe right to bring them back to the home screen. Now, before you let it go, make sure you select the

02:42home screen page that we just created, like so. This is how my home screen layout looks at the moment,

02:50and it works really well for me. I have a few shortcuts for navigation apps. This one opens the

02:55music app and Google Maps side by side, which is super handy. I also have shortcuts for brightness

03:01levels, and I think it's a must if you want to use your iPad as a custom Apple CarPlay. There are a few

03:08more shortcuts that I use, mostly automated, and I will talk more about them later on the video.

03:14Now that we have our driving home screen page created, it is time to create the driving focus mode.

03:21To create a new focus mode, go to settings, focus, and then click on the plus button on the top right

03:28corner. Now select custom, write the name you want to use, and the icon, and press next. To finalize,

03:37press customize focus. Now we have to link the driving home screen page that we created earlier on,

03:43with the driving focus mode that we just created. To do that, click on the home screen option,

03:49and select the driving home screen page that we created. Once that's done, every time you change

03:55your focus mode to driving, it should automatically change the home screen page. You also have the

04:01option to choose a dedicated lock screen for driving if you wish. In my case, I just left it empty.

04:07Now let's take a look at all the shortcuts that I use. Let's start with driving focus shortcut.

04:13To create one, go to shortcuts app, and on the top right side, press the plus icon to create a new

04:19shortcut. Now select set focus, then select driving focus that we created, and make sure it is on until

04:27turned off. Now we have to create a similar shortcut, but this time we want to turn off the focus mode.

04:35To do that, press the plus icon to create a new shortcut, then search for get current focus.

04:43After that, we need to add an if statement.

04:52And once that's done, we need to change it from icon to focus.

05:01Now we need to add set focus.

05:03Make sure you move it right below the if current focus has any value.

05:15Now select turn current focus off.

05:20So what this shortcut will do is to check if there is any active focus mode, and if that is the case,

05:27then it will turn it off. Now make sure you give it a proper name, and that's as done.

05:34Now let's move on to the next shortcut, which is the brightness. It's quite easy to create,

05:39just press the plus icon for a new shortcut, then search for set brightness, and select the percentage

05:45you want. Now make sure you give it a proper name, and that's as done.

05:58The next one is split screen. Once again, press the plus icon for a new shortcut,

06:03then search for split screen, and choose the two apps that you want to use side by side.

06:08Now let's create automations, and we have four of them in total. The first one we need is the

06:25Bluetooth automation, so that whenever the iPad connects to the car, it automatically activates

06:32the driving focus mode. But before we do that, if you never connected your iPad with your car

06:38radio before, you need to do that first, otherwise it won't show up on the iPad.

06:44So, to create the automation, press the plus icon, then select Bluetooth.

06:52Now choose the Bluetooth device, in my case it's my Volvo car, and make sure you select

06:58is connected, and run immediately. Now press next, and search for the driving focus shortcut

07:05that we created earlier on. Now the second automation we need to create is the opposite,

07:11so that whenever the iPad disconnects from the car, it turns off the driving focus mode.

07:17Once again, press the plus icon to create a new automation, then select Bluetooth. Now choose the

07:24Bluetooth device, and make sure this time you select is disconnected, and run immediately.

07:30Now press next, and search for the focus off shortcut that we created earlier on.

07:38The other automated shortcut I have, is the text size. When the driving mode is on,

07:43the text size is set to extra large, and when the driving mode is off, the text is set back to default.

07:49I recommend using a bigger text, because it's easier to see what's on the screen while driving.

07:55So, to create one, press the plus icon, and search for focus. Here select the driving focus,

08:02and make sure when turning on and run immediately is selected. Now press next, and select new blank

08:10automation. Now search for set text size, then select extra large, and press done.

08:22Now we have to create another one to set the text size back to default. To do that, press the plus icon,

08:30and search for focus. Then select the driving focus, make sure when turning off and run immediately is

08:38selected. Now press next, and select new blank automation. Here search for set text size,

08:47then select default, and press done. So that's as done with shortcuts and automations, but there is

09:00one more setting that I recommend you to change, and that is to use large icons on the home screen.

09:06To do that, go to settings, then select home screen and app library, and make sure you turn use large

09:13icons on. Now I'm going to teach you how to add the shortcuts that we created to the home screen

09:20page. To start, press and hold an empty space on the home screen, then click on the edit button on

09:26the top left corner, and press add widget. Now search for shortcuts.

09:34Here you have different options, but I prefer the first one. Then click on the widget that we just

09:41added, and select the shortcut that you want to add to the home screen page. And that's it,

09:46that's all you need to do. If you made it this far, it means your iPad is now ready to be used as a

09:53custom Apple CarPlay. So using the iPad as a custom Apple CarPlay has been great. However,

10:00I still have one problem. Sometimes I don't feel like taking my iPad with me. So I decided to create

10:06a new custom holder. This one is more compact and functional. It can hold and charge my phone

10:12at the same time, and on top of that, it can also hold the iPad, which is exactly what I wanted.

10:18Now I don't have to worry about leaving the iPad at home because I can use my iPhone instead,

10:25which looks really clean. Now I'm not sure which one I prefer, the iPad setup or the iPhone setup.

10:33Let me know what do you think. Well, that's all for today.

10:36Thanks for watching and I will see you next time.

iPad Mini as a Custom Apple CarPlay

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