DriveChime — Support

We’re here to help.

How it works

DriveChime does two separate things. First, it lets you choose a startup sound and hands that sound to Apple’s Shortcuts app, so the sound plays when your iPhone connects to your car. Second, it provides widgets for the car screen on iOS 26 and a full-screen Dash Mode for a phone in a mount.

An honest note about timing. Your car’s own connection sound still plays first. The DriveChime sound follows a moment later. That short gap is decided by iOS and cannot be removed by any app. DriveChime adds a sound of your choice; it does not change the system one.

Setting up the startup sound

1. In DriveChime, pick a sound and tap it to preview.
2. Open Apple’s Shortcuts app → Automation tab → +.
3. Choose CarPlay → When CarPlay connects.
4. Turn Ask Before Running off and confirm Don’t Ask. If your iOS version shows a Run Immediately switch, turn it on.
5. Tap New Blank Automation, search for Play Startup Sound, add it, then tap Done.

If you would rather build your own shortcut, DriveChime also provides Get Startup Sound File, which hands your selected sound to any other action.

The same steps, with screens, are inside the app on the setup tab.

Common questions

The sound doesn’t play when I connect

Nine times out of ten it is one of these:

• “Ask Before Running” is still on. Open Shortcuts → Automation → tap your CarPlay automation → turn it off and confirm Don’t Ask. With it on, iOS waits for a tap you never see while driving.
• “Run Immediately” is off. If your iOS build shows this switch, turn it on so the automation does not just post a notification.
• An imported file lives only in iCloud. If you imported your own audio and it has not been downloaded to the device, it cannot play offline. Open the Files app, download the original, then import it again in DriveChime.
• Volume or Focus. Check the car’s media volume, and check that a Focus mode is not silencing playback.
• Test it without a car. In Shortcuts, open the automation and run it manually. If the sound plays there, the action works and the problem is in the automation’s settings.

The widgets don’t appear on the car screen

• Car-screen widgets require iOS 26. On earlier versions the section does not exist.
• Add them on the iPhone, not in the car: Settings → General → CarPlay → your car → Widgets.
• If DriveChime is missing from that list, open DriveChime once, then restart the iPhone and look again. A fresh install sometimes needs one restart before iOS registers the widgets.
• Disconnect and reconnect the car after adding a widget so the car screen rebuilds its layout.
• The weather widget needs Location permission, the next-event widget needs Calendar permission, and the photo widget needs a photo picked inside DriveChime first.

How do I set up the disconnect sound?

It is a second automation, built the same way: Shortcuts → Automation → + → CarPlay → When CarPlay disconnects, then add the action Play Goodbye Sound. Turn Ask Before Running off there too.

The disconnect sound plays on my phone instead of the car

That is expected. By the time you disconnect, the car is no longer an audio output, so iOS routes the sound to the iPhone speaker. Nothing is broken. If you would rather not hear it at all, turn the disconnect sound off in DriveChime.

How do I import my own sound?

1. Open DriveChime → Sounds → Import audio.
2. Pick a file from the Files app. Make sure it is downloaded to the device, not only in iCloud.
3. Trim it to a maximum of 10 seconds and let DriveChime normalise the volume so it matches the built-in sounds.
4. Save it and select it as your startup sound. The automation you already created picks it up with no extra steps.

Importing your own audio is a Premium feature. Please use audio you have the right to use.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Open Settings on your iPhone → tap your name → Subscriptions → DriveChime → Cancel Subscription. Cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends, otherwise it renews. Cancelling during the 7-day free trial means you are not charged. The lifetime purchase is a one-time payment and has nothing to cancel.

I paid, but Premium is locked on my other device

Make sure both devices use the same Apple Account, then tap Restore Purchases in DriveChime’s settings.

Free and Premium

The free tier has no time limit: 3 sounds, 1 widget and the complete setup guide. Premium unlocks every sound category, your own audio import, all widgets and Dash Mode. It is available monthly and yearly, both with a 7-day free trial, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in your local currency in the App Store.

Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. See the Terms of Use (EULA).

Privacy

The app collects no personal data, has no accounts and no analytics. See our Privacy Policy.