Let’s face it, most of us probably won’t read the XT5 owner’s manual cover to cover and with how fast the technology in cars are advancing, navigating our way through the system can be a quest all on its own. Someone has asked about connecting our mobile devices to the infotainment system so I thought I’d post up a guide of sorts on how to connect to the XT5’s Android Auto (AA) and Apple CarPlay.

If your vehicle is equipped with Android Auto and/or Apple CarPlay ability, you should see a “Projection” icon on the home page of the display. For Android users, you’ll need to download the Android Auto app from the play store, those with Apple products are good to go.

Once you’ve successfully connected your device to the system via USB cable, the “Projection” icon should change to either a play button for Apple or a triangle for Android. Do note that both AA and AC could automatically launch once the USB cable is connected so you may not always need to press the button.

For android users, your phone needs to be running on Android Lollipop v5.0 or later and once it’s connected to the infotainment system the phone itself is locked out from use.

As for iPhone users, CarPlay is only compatible with these models; 5, 5s, 5c, 6, 6 plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE. Unlike AA, CarPlay does not lock the phone from use but we shouldn’t be messing with a phone while driving anyways.

If you connect via Bluetooth, not all of AA and CarPlay’s features will be accessible and the paring process will be disabled when the car is moving. To pair a phone for the first time you just need to tap on the “Phone” icon on the screen and then “Pair Device”. Then on your phone, you’ll need to located Cadillac CUE on your Bluetooth devices list and connect to it. Just follow the instructions to complete the pair and you’re good to go.

If for some reason, your phone just isn’t connecting then you may need to visit your local dealership.