Texting in a vehicle while you drive is phenomenally wrong on every level, if you pull out your phone. However, in a recent test of the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country, I found it was easier than ever by voice, thanks to support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
As we all know by now, distracted driving is a huge problem. I am seeing more and more TikTok videos where someone films another driver who is texting. (You can also make the case that snapping a photo is wrong, but let’s hope it’s a passenger doing that.)
I happen to be testing a Google Pixel 10 Fold Pro right now, a remarkably powerful and productive phone that works great with the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country. I connected over Bluetooth and had no problem texting by voice.
Of course, you can also text using an iPhone and I tested the only one I have right now, which is an iPhone 16 Pro. Some Chevy models do not actually work with CarPlay anymore and rely on Google services like the Google Assistant. There are pros and cons to this. When you don’t have a phone connected, you don’t have to keep it charged or fiddle with it as you drive.
However, when you connect a phone, you then can see all of your contacts on the screen. I’m caught somewhere in between. I like using Google Assistant because I know I don’t have to bring my phone along, and in many ways the entire process is faster and easier.
Testing CarPlay in the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country
For this test, I used iOS 26 which adds a slight translucent look to CarPlay. With Android Auto, the process for texting is the same — you can press the voice command button on the steering column to activate the assistant.
Surprisingly, the text by voice features with both Android and iOS devices works really well in the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country which is a fantastic-looking AWD vehicle. I never had any issues dictating my texts because the road noise was so minimal.
Over a week of testing, I had every conceivable issue come up in terms of texting. I had to reply to a few texts and also create a brand new one for a contact on my phone. I had to be careful with CarPlay to say the exact contact name (for example, Rebecca instead of Becky).
I also noticed Siri read my incoming texts perfectly, even in a few cases where someone had asked me a more technical question. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a quiet cab for texting like this, and the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country became a moving office for me because I could not only text easily, but hear incoming texts and reply easily. I’ve tested a few makes and models where it was not really possible, due to excess road noise.
As for the debate Chevy is having about whether to allow CarPlay, I can see that there are open questions. Should the automaker make the main display and give drivers all of the tools they need? Now that Aston Martin has vehicles that support CarPlay Ultra which has a display in the driver dashboard as well made by Apple, it is going to be an interesting few years.
The 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country proves we’re all going to be just fine.