Photo: 9to5mac with autoevolution edits
Apple is fully focused on the next-generation CarPlay, so the existing version received very limited love at the company's recent developer event.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean CarPlay didn't get any new features. It did, but everything comes down to small refinements that many users are unlikely to notice.
In addition to a new wallpaper, which isn't everybody's cup of tea, Apple will also release a new interface for sending messages and keeping a conversation going.
The existing iOS 17 beta build, now available for registered developers, includes an early version of this interface. It includes larger buttons on the screen when opening a conversation, letting you change the spoken message, enable and disable Siri announcing messages, and cancel the message sending.
The new UI includes large buttons that make perfect sense for a car-optimized experience, though it's important to keep in mind that Siri still handles the message creation. In other words, you dictate the text, and the assistant puts it in the message, eventually letting you decide what to do next from this updated interface.
The updated interface is projected to launch for all users in the fall of this year when Apple releases iOS 17 to production devices. The new operating system version will be available for the iPhone XS and newer.
In the meantime, Apple is also working around the clock on getting CarPlay 2.0 ready for prime time. The next-generation CarPlay will only be available in new cars, with the first models to be announced in the fall of this year. Apple hasn't yet revealed the full list of carmakers adopting the new CarPlay, but I expect at least a handful of companies to take the stage at the launch event in the fall to discuss their integration.
Compared to the existing version of CarPlay, the next version will use all screens in the car and will sport deeper integration into the vehicle. As such, CarPlay will be able to read essential car data, such as the battery range, eventually offering more advanced capabilities. For instance, Apple Maps will monitor the battery level and suggest charging stops when the existing range doesn’t allow the vehicle to reach a configured destination.
CarPlay will require special hardware, so it won't be available in the existing models where the current version of the system is installed. Needless to say, the adoption of CarPlay 2.0 is expected to improve significantly in the coming years, especially as Apple claims close to 80 percent of car buyers wouldn’t even consider a new vehicle without phone projection.
Apple hasn't yet released a public beta of iOS 17 to let everybody test these small CarPlay refinements, but such a build is expected later this month or in early July.
In addition to a new wallpaper, which isn't everybody's cup of tea, Apple will also release a new interface for sending messages and keeping a conversation going.
The existing iOS 17 beta build, now available for registered developers, includes an early version of this interface. It includes larger buttons on the screen when opening a conversation, letting you change the spoken message, enable and disable Siri announcing messages, and cancel the message sending.
The new UI includes large buttons that make perfect sense for a car-optimized experience, though it's important to keep in mind that Siri still handles the message creation. In other words, you dictate the text, and the assistant puts it in the message, eventually letting you decide what to do next from this updated interface.
The updated interface is projected to launch for all users in the fall of this year when Apple releases iOS 17 to production devices. The new operating system version will be available for the iPhone XS and newer.
In the meantime, Apple is also working around the clock on getting CarPlay 2.0 ready for prime time. The next-generation CarPlay will only be available in new cars, with the first models to be announced in the fall of this year. Apple hasn't yet revealed the full list of carmakers adopting the new CarPlay, but I expect at least a handful of companies to take the stage at the launch event in the fall to discuss their integration.
Compared to the existing version of CarPlay, the next version will use all screens in the car and will sport deeper integration into the vehicle. As such, CarPlay will be able to read essential car data, such as the battery range, eventually offering more advanced capabilities. For instance, Apple Maps will monitor the battery level and suggest charging stops when the existing range doesn’t allow the vehicle to reach a configured destination.
CarPlay will require special hardware, so it won't be available in the existing models where the current version of the system is installed. Needless to say, the adoption of CarPlay 2.0 is expected to improve significantly in the coming years, especially as Apple claims close to 80 percent of car buyers wouldn’t even consider a new vehicle without phone projection.
Apple hasn't yet released a public beta of iOS 17 to let everybody test these small CarPlay refinements, but such a build is expected later this month or in early July.
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