Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Apple will unveil its new generation of iPhones next month, and like every year, CarPlay users are also hoping to receive some goodies.
Unfortunately, Apple still ties CarPlay updates to operating system updates. Each CarPlay improvement can only be delivered to users as part of a new iOS release, which is why users are hoping that the launch of iOS 18 in September will also bring new features to the in-car experience.
While Apple has been mostly tight-lipped about planned updates to CarPlay, the company has two major reasons to push its in-car offerings and release new features: the decline of Apple Car and the latest Android Auto announcements.
The Apple Car is no more
Photo: Apple via MacRumors
After about a decade of hard work, Apple stopped developing the Apple Car and team members were reassigned to other units or laid off.
The vehicle was an integral part of Apple's planned expansion into the automotive sector, and now that this foray into a rather unexplored market is no longer possible from a hardware perspective, the iPhone maker must focus heavily on software and services.
CarPlay plays a key role in this strategy. Apple data shows that nearly 8 in 10 new car buyers wouldn’t consider a model without CarPlay, so the Cupertino-based tech giant has an asset that gives it fantastic leverage in the auto industry.
Here’s why Apple should focus more on CarPlay. Without new features and improvements, CarPlay could start to feel outdated (it already is), especially as alternatives like Android Auto and Android Automotive continue to receive major updates.
Android Auto Improvements
Photo: Apple via MacRumors
Google’s I/O developer event this spring saw several big announcements for Android Auto, including the unlocking of new app categories.
Google will bring games, video apps including YouTube, and browsers to Android Auto after launching those product categories on Android Automotive. This means users will finally be able to watch YouTube videos and play games from their mobile devices on their car’s infotainment screens.
YouTube is already available on Android Auto through third-party methods, but once Google unlocks the app, everyone will be able to use it without having to resort to these unofficial solutions.
Google also plans to increase the number of apps available in cars with another big project. The company will allow apps built for large screens to run on Android Auto and Android Automotive if they meet certain requirements. The best part is that developers won’t have to update their apps, as Google will automatically analyze specific app categories, determine their compatibility with a car, and release them on Android Auto and Android Automotive.
Apple’s efforts to expand its app categories have been mostly stagnant and silent lately, so without a big announcement this fall, CarPlay will start to feel outdated when compared to Android Auto. Considering that Apple releases major CarPlay updates as part of iOS updates, users may have to wait another year for new features, and you can imagine how frustrating that could become if Android Auto were to evolve at a faster pace.
The new generation of CarPlay
Photo: Apple via MacRumors
The consensus is that Apple will be less focused on improving the current version of CarPlay and will instead focus primarily on the next-generation experience announced at WWDC in 2022. Porsche and Aston Martin will launch the first cars with the new CarPlay this year, and I expect the automakers to attend Apple’s iPhone event to detail how and why they’ve adopted the updated experience in their models.
The new CarPlay will not be available in cars with the current version installed, as it will require new hardware. It will use all dashboard displays, including the instrument cluster, and will allow automakers to customize the look and feel to maintain brand identity.
CarPlay 2.0 will continue to be based on connecting to the iPhone, as Apple did not want to follow in the footsteps of Android Automotive and turn the software into a full-fledged operating system.
Photo: Apple via MacRumors
The big question, however, is how Apple will handle two versions of CarPlay and whether it will continue to improve the current version in the long run. Google differentiates more between Android Auto and Android Automotive, so it’s important for Apple to find a way to resolve the confusion that two versions of CarPlay could cause.
Current iOS 18 beta builds suggest that Apple may not announce any major changes to the current version of CarPlay, and that’s not good news. With Android Auto evolving at a faster pace and getting new features, CarPlay may soon become an outdated in-car experience.
For Apple, this is something it needs to avoid. CarPlay has become an incentive to get an iPhone, and if the in-car experience doesn't get the attention users expect, they could easily switch sides and get an Android device, especially since most cars with CarPlay also support Android Auto.
In typical Apple fashion, the company has remained tight-lipped about all the new features coming to CarPlay this year.