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Apple’s fall event is upon us: the next-generation iPhone and Apple Watch will be unveiled on Monday.
While the focus will be on the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Series 10, Apple is also preparing several software announcements, including one for CarPlay, all of which will be part of the next iOS update expected this month.
CarPlay improvements are still tied to iOS updates, so Apple needs operating system updates to refine the in-car experience. Unfortunately, this means that new CarPlay features are rolling out at a slow pace, not to mention that Apple isn’t necessarily very committed to pushing out major updates, considering a next-gen experience is just around the corner.
CarPlay 2.0 will be available in Aston Martin and Porsche cars this year, and Apple is expected to share more information at its iPhone event next week. The new experience will still require an iPhone, but it will be integrated into the vehicle, allowing automakers to customize the look and feel. As a result, the next-generation CarPlay will not be available in cars that offer the current version.
However, while Apple isn’t preparing any major new features, iOS 18 will still bring several improvements to CarPlay. Here are the five most important ones.
CarPlay Sound Recognition
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If you’ve used an iPhone before, you probably know that your device can automatically recognize surrounding sounds, like sirens from ambulances or fire trucks.
While these are accessibility features, they are also useful for any driver, especially when you are listening to music or talking on the phone and not paying attention to the sounds around you. The sound recognition system can identify the most common sounds, including car horns, and with iOS 18, the feature comes to CarPlay.
When a sound is recognized nearby, drivers will see a notification on the screen.
Colored filters
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Apple is focusing more on accessibility features and the next update will also include color filters for CarPlay.
They're already available on iPhones, so Apple will bring them to CarPlay with similar settings, including red/green, green/red, and blue/yellow filters.
Users can also enable the grayscale option to improve the readability on the screen.
Improved messaging experience
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Staying in touch with your contacts without taking your eyes off the road is a key feature of CarPlay. While Siri takes care of reading messages and sending replies, Apple has also tried to focus on smaller details to refine the experience.
With the new update, CarPlay will now display contact icons in the Messages app and when you receive a new text message.
The notification that appears on the screen will include the photo of the contact you have configured on your smartphone, so you can find out more easily who sent you a message with a simple glance at the screen.
New Siri animation
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Siri is getting a bit of a makeover: Apple has designed a less intrusive animation that rotates on the screen when the digital assistant is listening for input.
The current version of CarPlay shows a Siri loading icon at the top of the screen, at the bottom of the user interface.
Once you install iOS 18, CarPlay will display an animated line that circles the screen, letting you know when the digital assistant is ready for voice commands. The animation is smoother and less intrusive, allowing you to focus on what's happening on the screen.
The current iteration clogs up the screen and blocks important information, including the map, when navigation is enabled. This will no longer happen when the new animation is available to everyone.
Silent mode
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CarPlay will also have additional controls to manage silent mode when you connect your iPhone to the car.
By default, Silent Mode mirrors your iPhone settings when CarPlay starts. If you enable Silent Mode on your iPhone, CarPlay will continue to use Silent Mode while you drive.
However, iOS 18 will improve the experience by providing independent controls for Silent Mode. Users can continue to use the same settings as before and avoid changing the Silent Mode settings or automatically disabling or enabling Silent Mode when CarPlay starts. You can already do the same thing with Shortcuts if you want to enable and disable Silent Mode when CarPlay loads, but Apple will make it easier and more convenient to choose your settings directly from the CarPlay interface. The new options will be found in the Settings screen directly on CarPlay, so you don’t have to unlock your iPhone to configure the desired behavior.
iOS 18 is coming to iPhones this month, but you should know that only the iPhone XR and later will be supported. The second-generation iPhone SE will also receive the iOS 18 update. If you have a newer iPhone, you'll get the full CarPlay experience.
Apple hasn't announced when iOS 18 will be released, but when the update is available, you can check for the new version in Settings > General > Software Update.