For close to a decade I’ve had an idea for a CarPlay app. But I procrastinated building it because I didn’t know much about the CarPlay SDK, and what I did know was different enough to scare me off.

This weekend I finally built it. During my kids’ 30-minute swim lesson, from my iPhone. Then I used it on the drive home. It was glorious.

I could do it because:

Bitrig can now build CarPlay apps and test them in its built-in simulator.

Running your CarPlay app in a real car requires an entitlement from Apple and a paid Apple Developer account. So does testing it in Xcode’s CarPlay Simulator. But Bitrig lets you test your CarPlay app without either.

Here’s how it works:

• Build with CarPlay templates. Bitrig knows every CarPlay category and which templates each one allows. It adds CarPlay to your existing iPhone app, following Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines for CarPlay.

• Run it in the CarPlay simulator. Switch between your iPhone and its CarPlay screen using the device menu. Both your Mac and Bitrig Remote can show either screen.

• Test and refine it. The agent taps through your CarPlay interface to test it with Simulator Use, and you can select an element on the CarPlay screen to show it exactly what to change.

• Request the entitlement. Bitrig walks you through requesting Apple’s CarPlay entitlement: accept the agreement, pick your app’s category, and submit. My audio app was approved the same day.

• Use it in your car. Run your app on your iPhone with one click and connect it to your car. When it’s ready to share, Bitrig can publish it to the App Store.

You can do all of this from Bitrig Remote too. Prompt the agent, test your app in the CarPlay simulator, and install it on your Home Screen with one tap, so it’s ready the next time you get in the car.

Your audio and video CarPlay apps will also work on Apple HomeView when it arrives on November 13.

So if you’ve had an idea for a CarPlay app, stop procrastinating. Bitrig makes it easy.