DoorDash drivers with iPhones and CarPlay will soon be able to access parts of the delivery app through their car dashboard with what the company says is a more “streamlined” experience.
It’s the latest of the gig companies to build out CarPlay offerings, a feature long requested by drivers that’s finally been integrated in recent months.
Apple CarPlay allows for users to see certain apps’ functions on their dashboard so that they don’t have to constantly toggle between different devices. The bigger screen could also help when it comes to navigating, which is the selling point that DoorDash is focusing on with this release. The company is piloting the integration in a small number of markets and will potentially expand to all users in the coming months.
The CarPlay systems are still in the early days, and offer a much more limited set of in-app actions than a traditional phone experience. Uber, for example, uses CarPlay to display heat maps where surge pricing is in effect, and allows drivers to accept or decline trips on the large screen. For now, DoorDash is showing only navigation on CarPlay, but a spokesperson says the hope is to add more functionalities soon.
Some gig workers already use an iPad or other tablet to mirror their cellphones, essentially using those tablets as a large operating system that includes all of the app’s functionalities, says Sergio Avedian, senior contributor for industry blog The Rideshare Guy.
“I am pretty sure that they’re going to slowly integrate the full functionality of the apps into your car screen,” Avedian noted, “but it’s been taking some time.”
