Finamp is the music player the Jellyfin community recommends by default, and the question people ask most often about it concerns the car. Does Finamp support CarPlay? Yes, but only in the TestFlight beta. This post sorts out where things stand: which Finamp version does what, how to get the beta, and what's left if TestFlight isn't for you.
Short answer
- The stable App Store version has no CarPlay. It carries the number 0.6.25 and dates back to November 2024.
- The TestFlight beta has CarPlay, since version 0.9.24-beta, released June 16, 2026. Per the release notes, browsing large libraries may not show every track yet.
- CarPlay without a beta ships ready-made in Finer Player, Jellify and Manet.
- If your music doesn't live on Jellyfin alone, CLAUDIO is the natural choice: one library for Jellyfin, Navidrome, NAS, iCloud Drive and local files, with no account. Under CarPlay, CLAUDIO shows local and downloaded content. Disclosure: CLAUDIO is my own app.
Two Finamps
Download Finamp from the App Store and you get a version that hasn't been updated since November 2024. Development happens elsewhere. The project is rebuilding the app in a complete redesign, and that build runs as a beta via TestFlight and the GitHub releases. The project itself describes the beta as work in progress, but stable enough for daily use.
In practice that means the current Finamp lives on TestFlight, not in the App Store. Stick to the store and you miss two years of development, CarPlay included.
What the beta does under CarPlay
Since version 0.9.24-beta, Finamp appears on the car display with three tabs:
- Home shows a curated selection from your library; it can't be customized yet.
- Search finds music straight from the car display.
- Library browses by album, artist, track, genre and playlist.
On top of that comes the player screen with playback controls and queue management. The same release added Siri commands, so you can play, shuffle and search by voice without touching the iPhone.
The release notes name one limitation themselves: when browsing large libraries, you might not see all tracks, artists or albums, because fetching longer lists still has its limits. On top of that come the constraints CarPlay imposes on every audio app. Why all music apps look alike in the car, and why the offline cache matters more than the server connection, is covered in CarPlay and music from your own server.
How to get the beta
- Install TestFlight from the App Store.
- Open the project's public invitation link (listed in the sources below) on your iPhone.
- Load the Finamp beta and connect your Jellyfin server.
For the car, one extra step pays off: download albums or playlists before the drive. Finamp can optionally transcode downloads to save storage, and whatever is stored locally keeps playing through every dead zone.
CarPlay without TestFlight
If a beta is not an option for you, CarPlay for Jellyfin comes ready-made from the App Store:
- Finer Player is a native Jellyfin player with CarPlay tabs for artists, playlists and downloads. It's free and funded through voluntary tip purchases.
- Jellify is free and open source (MIT, source on GitHub) and built on React Native. CarPlay and Android Auto were part of the plan from the start.
- Manet is a native player with CarPlay, offline downloads and Siri support. The base app is free, and the Manet+ subscription unlocks extras.
The full comparison of all Jellyfin music apps is in the Jellyfin guide.
When Jellyfin isn't your only source
If you use other sources besides Jellyfin, CLAUDIO brings them all into one app. It is a privacy-focused player that treats Jellyfin as one source among many: music, audiobooks and podcasts from Jellyfin, Navidrome, NAS/SMB, WebDAV, SFTP, Audiobookshelf, iCloud Drive and local files in a single library. Favorites sync with Jellyfin in both directions, and CLAUDIO reports playback to your own Jellyfin server. There's no account and no analytics, and the App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected".
Under CarPlay, CLAUDIO shows only local and downloaded content. There is no streaming in the car, and the full server library can't be browsed there. Whatever you download before the drive is exactly what appears on the car display. That is the same step that pays off with the Finamp beta, except that here it draws on all connected sources at once. Without downloads, it stays empty. One more fair caveat: remote sources like Jellyfin and CarPlay belong to the paid Ultra tier (subscription) or the one-time Pro+.
The state of play in one table
| App | CarPlay | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Finamp (App Store) | no | App Store, free |
| Finamp (beta) | yes, since 0.9.24-beta | TestFlight, free |
| Finer Player | yes | App Store, free + tips |
| Jellify | yes | App Store, free |
| Manet | yes | App Store, free + Manet+ |
| CLAUDIO | yes, local and downloaded content | App Store, free + Ultra/Pro+ |
As of July 2026. Prices and features change; check the store listing before deciding.
FAQ
Does Finamp support CarPlay? Not in the stable App Store version. The TestFlight beta has supported CarPlay since version 0.9.24-beta, released June 16, 2026.
How do I get the Finamp beta? Via the project's public TestFlight link: install TestFlight, open the link, load the beta.
Is the Finamp beta usable day to day? The project describes it as work in progress, but stable enough for daily use. Interface and features may still change before the stable release.
When will CarPlay reach the stable Finamp version? No date has been announced. Until then, it's the beta or one of the App Store alternatives.
Which Jellyfin app has CarPlay without TestFlight? Finer Player, Jellify and Manet, plus CLAUDIO if you want several sources in one app. Its CarPlay plays downloaded and local content.
Read on
How CarPlay works under the hood, and why the offline cache decides? → CarPlay and music from your own server All Jellyfin music apps compared? → Jellyfin music on the iPhone Which client fits Audiobookshelf, Jellyfin or Navidrome? → ShelfPlayer, Plappa, or Finamp? What CLAUDIO does and costs? → CLAUDIO at a glance
Sources
- GitHub: Finamp 0.9.24-beta release notes, CarPlay feature set, Siri commands and the browsing limitation mentioned above
- GitHub: Finamp releases, version history of the redesign beta
- TestFlight: Join the Finamp beta, public invitation link including the project's beta notice
- App Store: Finamp, stable version 0.6.25 from November 2024; Finer Player, Jellify and Manet, CarPlay claims per store description
- GitHub: Jellify-Music/App, open-source player (MIT) with CarPlay and Android Auto
Disclosure: I develop CLAUDIO, one of the apps mentioned. For a pure Jellyfin library, a dedicated client like Finamp is often the better fit. When several sources should live in one app, CLAUDIO is the natural choice. Getting started is free.