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Apple’s New Killer CarPlay Features Make It Easier to Just Focus on Driving

One of the most significant shortcomings of the likes of CarPlay and Android Auto is that drivers are tempted to look at the screen. That is why both Apple and Google are working non-stop on improving the hands-free experience and making voice commands an essential feature available for everybody.
The CarPlay home screen 1 photo
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The next iPhone operating system, which will land in the fall as iOS 15, will include two important features that will help CarPlay fight against the distraction behind the wheel while also allowing users to stay up-to-date with what’s happening on their phones.

The first of them is Announce Messages with Siri, a feature that’s already available on other devices, such as AirPods, and which is now making its way to CarPlay as well.

The way Announce Messages works is as simple as it could be. As you probably know already, Siri can read your messages when running CarPlay as soon as you tap the notification of an incoming message.

Clearly, that comes in pretty handy because you no longer have to look at the screen to read the full message; on the other hand, that one second when you tap the notification is what should be avoided.

So Announce Messages no longer requires you to tap the notification, with Siri now reading all your messages as they arrive. CarPlay will let users announce new messages and mute announcements, so the experience can be easily customized according to your liking.

Then, iOS 15 is also introducing Driving Focus, a new feature that takes the previous Do Not Disturb While Driving mode to a completely new level.

Driving Focus lands on CarPlay with the ability to let your contacts know that you’re driving even before they reach out to you on apps like Messages. And while you can still configure automatic replies if someone sends you a message, the whole thing is a lot more straightforward now, as your contacts can figure out you can’t respond by checking out your status.

Furthermore, Driving Focus lets you set different alerts and notifications per contact, enabling you to define more complex rules.

Both features will be part of iOS 15 and should launch for all users in September, according to Apple’s typical release calendar. A preview version is already available today for testing purposes.
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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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