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Apple Quietly Releases Improvements for Its Flagship CarPlay Feature

There’s no doubt that the dashboard has become one of the CarPlay features that users love the most, and Apple seems to know this very well.
The old and new CarPlay dashboard design 1 photo
Photo: reddit user GeorgianehR
So the Cupertino-based tech giant is working on further refining the experience with the CarPlay dashboard, and in the latest iOS 14 beta update, it focused specifically on vertical screens.

More specifically, the company introduced a series of layout refinements for the dashboard when CarPlay runs on a vertical screen, and the comparison screenshot that was posted on reddit today provides us with a closer look at everything.

First and foremost, the most noticeable change is the app bar, which has moved from the left side of the screen to the bottom. On vertical screens, this is without a doubt something that makes perfect sense, as keeping it to the left would just mean the menu bar ends up eating unnecessary space on the screen.

Then, the calendar card on the dashboard is no longer displayed in iOS 14 developer beta 5, albeit what you need to know is that this one shows up when you have an upcoming appointment for the day. When this happens, the calendar card should force the Google Maps controls (Go and Voice buttons) to use a smaller card on the dashboard.

The music playback card also appears to be wider now, while the navigation widget where Google Maps displays the map is now a little bit smaller.

All in all, it’s pretty clear that Apple is experimenting with different approaches right now, and this actually makes sense given this is the purpose of iOS 14 beta in the first place.

Users can give it a try to all these improvements in advance by downloading the beta builds of this next iPhone update, albeit this isn’t recommended on production devices. As per Apple’s release schedule, iOS 14 should get the go-ahead for everyone in September, with iPhone 6s and newer supported by this update.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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