Back in 2022, the Cupertino-based tech giant showcased the next-generation CarPlay system at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Although the system isn’t available in any consumer-grade cars yet, Apple showed some glimpses of it during the WWDC 2024 developer’s sessions. Now that we’re nearing the year-end, it only makes sense for the company to spin the clock on the system and roll it out to at least a few vehicles. Here’s everything we know about Apple CarPlay.
New Apple CarPlay Features Deep Integration With A Car’s Electronics
We already know that the next-generation Apple CarPlay will be able to fetch more details from a car’s electronic systems than ever. The deeper integration will let CarPlay mimic a vehicle’s instrument cluster, control the climate control and FM radio functionality, provide an overlay to multiple displays, and new widgets for apps like Weather.
Apple has designed the driving companion software to take over a car’s default information and infotainment systems, fetching all the details (as mentioned above) and showcasing them in a much more familiar (similar to iOS) user interface. For instance, CarPlay would be able to replace your car’s instrument cluster (if it’s a digital screen), including elements like the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, and all the other details that a cluster usually shows.
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CarPlay To Provide Digital Climatic Controls
Further, Apple CarPlay will be able to provide digital controls to control your car’s air conditioner. Leveraging the deep integration into your car’s electronics, CarPlay will provide all the climate control features, including fan speed, A/C, seat ventilation level, air circulation, air-flow setting, and more. Like StandBy Mode on iPhones, the CarPlay will ship with new widgets that display information like current trip details, calendar, weather, time, etc.
The new user interface would include a split-screen view showing multiple apps simultaneously. In one of the images, we can see the Apple Music app on the left, along with the Weather app on the right. Further, there’s a dock at the bottom that houses all the useful apps, just like the dock on an iPad. Last but not least, the system will extend its interface on all the screens in a car, wherein different screens could contain a different layout.
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Apple’s New Driving Automation System Could Take Over Multiple Screens
While the screen behind the steering could act as the instrument cluster, the infotainment screen could show all the installed apps. If there are other screens in a car (like in models with a singular connected display up front), different portions of the screen would be dedicated to different features.
With iOS 17.4, Apple included references to hidden CarPlay features, including Auto Settings, which lets users manage their paired iPhones. Then there’s the Car Camera feature that fetches a feed from the vehicle’s rear-view camera and shows it on one of the displays. For electric vehicles, the CarPlay system will showcase battery levels, too. There will also be widgets for door closure, media management, tire pressure monitoring, and trip details.
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Which Automakers Have Committed To The Next-Generation Apple CarPlay?
At the moment, several automakers have committed to adopting the next-generation Apple CarPlay in their models. These include Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo. While Aston Martin has confirmed that its DB12 will ship with the new CarPlay system this year, other automakers haven’t announced which vehicles will get it. They might be concerned about sharing all the data associated with the car with Apple, but eventually, we could see the next-generation CarPlay in many models.
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