With all the vehicular hype on either Apple's rumored car projects or CarPlay, you'd be forgiven for not knowing about Siri Eyes-Free, Apple's first car-related venture.
What is Siri Eyes-Free?
Apple released this feature in 2012 in hopes of giving drivers access to Siri without having to fiddle with the home button on their iPhone or screens. (Think of it as a CarPlay precursor.) Siri Eyes-Free works much the same as summoning Siri from your device: After pressing a designated button in your car — usually on the steering wheel — you'll have access to most of the voice assistant's features via your car's Bluetooth system.
Any text Siri would normally spew on your iPhone's screen, the digital assistant instead speaks to you. Dictate a text message? You'll have those words read back to you in Siri's dulcet tones before you can send it off.
Notably absent are features that would require you to look at your iPhone while driving: You can't tell Siri to open apps, for instance, or show you photos.
What's the difference between Siri Eyes-Free and CarPlay?
The primary difference is visual: CarPlay requires a vehicle with a compatible touchscreen system, while Siri Eyes-Free vehicles need only be compatible via Bluetooth Audio.
CarPlay, with its touchscreen, offers a lot more multimedia functionality; Siri Eyes-Free restricts your optics to the windshield and forces you instead to rely on your ears (and your car's Bluetooth microphone).
How do I tell if my car has Siri Eyes-Free or CarPlay?
CarPlay vehicles are pretty easy to spot in the wild thanks to Apple's highly-visual operating system on their touchscreen systems; we've also kept a running list of cars that support CarPlay on iMore.
In contrast, Siri Eyes-Free vehicles are a lot harder to spot in the wild or at your local car dealership thanks to the lack of overt branding: Whereas CarPlay vehicles come with a handy navigation screen branding them as such, many Siri Eyes-Free cars don't even have a separate button to activate the feature; depending on the car, it may piggyback off an existing voice control button or even your controls for answering phone calls.
Here are guides to find Siri Eyes-Free on a few popular car models:
- How to use Siri Eyes-Free in your Toyota
- How to use Siri Eyes-Free in your Ford
- How to use Siri Eyes-Free in your Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep
- How to use Siri Eyes-Free in your Nissan
- How to use Siri Eyes-Free in your Acura
In general, if you're considering purchasing a car and want to know whether it supports either Siri Eyes-Free or CarPlay, you're best off Googling "Siri eyes-free [model and year of car]". Most cars began implementing support for Siri Eyes-Free in the 2014-2015 year, but some brands (like Toyota) waited until the 2015-2016 model year, so it's always best to check.
Can I get Siri Eyes-Free in an older car?
Yes and no. You won't be able to properly enable Siri Eyes-Free without installing a new Bluetooth-compatible receiver that supports it, but there are a few hacks that make getting Apple's old-school Siri experience easy as pie.
One option is buying an aftermarket Bluetooth "home" button for $20-$50 on Amazon: I've tried a few and been less than impressed with overall reliability, but have yet to experiment with the top-reviewed option on Amazon, Anker's SoundSync Bluetooth Receiver.
The other option — and my personal preference — is picking up a set of AirPods and using one in the car to trigger Siri. It works almost flawlessly, and positioning the mic next to your mouth means that you'll get a much better transcription experience than trying to shout at Siri through a Bluetooth microphone.
Questions about Siri Eyes-Free?
Let us know in the comments.
