A Chevrolet driver showed how she formatted her Apple CarPlay setup to play a custom startup sound every time her phone connects to it. Now people can’t decide if they love it or hate it.
Misti (@misti1023) posted a TikTok that’s garnered over 5.4 million views showing off her custom sound.
She says she learned how to do so from other social media users. The multi-step process is handled through iOS’s automation and CarPlay customization features and requires a bit of work to figure out. But there’s no hacking required.
While some people seemed excited about doing this trick with their own cars, others think that this functionality would tick them off after a while.
Custom CarPlay Welcome Message
Misti begins her video starting her vehicle. A text overlay reads, “TikTok has ruined me. Thanks to whoever showed us how to program Apple CarPlay to play a sound on startup of the vehicle,” she writes. Additional on-screen captions read, “Big Thunder Mountain” and “Disney.”
When her Chevrolet’s engine turns over, you hear the familiar six-ding ignition chorus.
Then Misti directs her lens to the car’s infotainment screen, where an Apple CarPlay menu pops up.
Seconds later, a pre-recorded voice echoes through the speaker system. Disney theme park fans may recognize the speaker from the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.
“Howdy Folks, please keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the train,” the character says. “And remain seated at all times. Now then, hang on to them hats and glasses ’cause this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness.”
How to Program Apple CarPlay Startup Sounds
There are numerous online tutorials that explain how to program your own customized startup sounds.
First, make sure your car has Apple CarPlay compatibility and you have an iPhone or iOS device you use in your ride.
Then choose your own custom startup sound. The most common formats for these files are MP4 or MP3.
If you’re trying to get a song snippet off of Spotify, there are websites that allow you to paste audio links from the streaming service.
Subsequently, download the track and then trim it so you’re not hearing a whole song every time you start your car up—unless that’s your thing. There are audio cutting applications available on the App Store, or if you’re on a desktop, there are free options like Audacity, along with web-based solutions as well.
If you’d like to use a YouTube clip’s audio, download the video using a similar web-based tool.
After your video’s been saved, head into your iPhone’s Photos app and trim down the section that you want.
Then you can upload the clipped footage to a video-to-audio converter tool.
Once your file’s processed, you can download the ripped audio (MP3 or MP4) to your files app.
After your file’s been downloaded, head to the Shortcuts application on your iPhone. Hit automation > then the plus (+) sign on the top right. In this new menu, hit “CarPlay,” which will allow you to play this sound when Apple CarPlay connects. Make sure to toggle the “Connects” function to the on setting.
Finally, make sure you toggle on the “Run Immediately” option and “Notify me when Ran” located below these aforementioned choices. If you select “Run After Confirmation” you’ll be prompted by your phone each time CarPlay starts to emit your selected sound.
Afterwards, hit “Next” then pick a “New Blank Automation.” Here, you will pick the file you previously saved and want to play upon Apple CarPlay startup. Scroll down to the “Files” application and select the audio clip.
Some users who tried this said that only MP3 files will work, however, at least one tutorial shows someone selecting a M4A file, and she demonstrates it working.
After the file’s been selected and you see its URL path under the “When CarPlay connects” screen, you have one more step.
Beneath this file path, there will be a bar that reads “Search Actions.” Tap that bar and type in “Play sound” and select that option. This will cue your CarPlay system to play this file whenever your car is started and your phone connects to your vehicle.
Then you should be good to go.
You can have a sound play when CarPlay disconnects as well.
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Folks who replied to Misti’s video had varying opinions on this startup sound customization. A few people speculated that, depending on the noise they pick, this feature would get really old, really fast. “One bad day and this would have me crashing out,” one penned.
“This would drive me crazy after like the third time,” another replied.
“Imagine having the worst day at work and you get in the car mentally exhausted and then you hear this,” one TikTok user wrote.
Others were inspired.
One woman wrote, “Why was my first thought Optimus Prime saying ‘Alright Autobots, rollout,’” she penned.
“Shania Twain saying ‘Let’s Go Girls’ would be elite,” someone else propounded.
“You need to program it to be the Windows 95 startup sound,” another TikToker replied.
One person opted to use the custom sound trick for evil.
“I just set my husband’s phone (he’s sleeping rn) to play the opening of ‘Down with the Sickness,’” they wrote. “He’s in a shock at 6am when he leaves for work. Then his confusion when it happens again when he comes home.”
Motor1 has reached out to Misti via TikTok comment for further information. We’ll update this article if she responds.