Apple's CarPlay is taking over your car

·Technology Editor

June 9, 2022 at 9:39 AM·4 min read

Apple (AAPL) unveiled a host of new software and hardware during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, giving the world a look at iOS 16, watchOS 9, macOS Ventura, and even the company’s new M2 chip and redesigned MacBook Air.

But one announcement should have gotten more attention than it did — an early look at the next generation of Apple’s CarPlay. CarPlay is the company’s iPhone-powered automotive interface. Anyone with a car that is AirPlay compatible simply plugs in their phone, or connects it wirelessly, and the infotainment system automatically switches to an interface similar to your iPhone’s.

The upcoming version of CarPlay, however, goes far beyond the current iteration’s capabilities. Your iPhone will take over your car’s infotainment system, its instrument cluster, and even the A/C and seat controls.

Automakers have struggled for years to build interfaces that are as easy to understand as a smartphone, often making things more confusing in the process. And with the next version of CarPlay, which launches in late 2023, it looks like automakers may cede more control to Apple.

CarPlay will finally be able to control parts of your car

There’s no guarantee that automakers will completely get on board with Apple’s plans for their vehicles. After all, doing so would be like letting someone come into your home and allowing them to repaint the walls the way they like them.

But let’s face it, consumers like using their iPhones, and in the case of Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Android Auto, their Android devices. I recently bought a Hyundai and while I love driving it, even in New York City, the interface is unattractive and clunky. That’s why, according to Apple, 79% of car buyers would only consider purchasing a vehicle that’s CarPlay-capable.

Thankfully, my Hyundai supports both CarPlay and Android Auto, so as soon as I get in, I just plug in my iPhone, and I’ve got all of my apps and settings ready to go.

Apple's next-generation version of CarPlay will span across multiple displays will let you access your climate controls and more from one interface. (Image: Apple) (Apple)

CarPlay’s one shortcoming, though, is that it can’t control even the most basic vehicle features outside of playing music over my car’s speakers. To even access the radio, I have to switch out of CarPlay to the vehicle’s standard interface and then back to CarPlay. For drivers with temperature controls built into their infotainment systems, that’s doubly annoying. It’s also problematic when driving to have to switch between two different interfaces just to put the AC on.

The next interaction of CarPlay, however, will allow you to not only adjust the climate settings; seat position; garage door controls; and, thankfully, radio without having to switch to the automaker’s interface. You’ll even be able to expand CarPlay’s interface to the instrument cluster as well.

During its on-screen demo, Apple showed a vehicle with CarPlay displaying a vehicle’s speed, tachometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, and odometer. What’s more, you’ll be able to change what appears between the large speedometer and tachometer, adding either a map, compass, the name of the song you’re playing and more.

You can also customize the color of the gauges and swap them between a modern look and a classic look.

Automakers are making deals with Big Tech

Apple isn’t the only tech giant making moves in the auto industry; Alphabet is increasingly pushing into the automotive space, inking deals that make its in-car version of Android the base infotainment system for vehicle manufacturers.

Last year, Ford signed a deal with Google that lets the tech giant build out Ford’s system, meaning Android will be built into future Ford vehicles from the jump. Google is already doing the same thing with GM, packaging Android directly into select 2022 vehicles.

Chevy is offering Android built into its 2022 Tahoe and Suburban LT trims and above. (Image: Chevy) (Chevy)

GM’s systems still work with CarPlay when you connect your iPhone, and it’s likely Ford’s systems will work too.

While Apple hasn’t made any deals to become the default operating system for automakers, its CarPlay is already available in some 98% of cars in the U.S. And with Apple controlling 50% of U.S. smartphone market share in Q1 2022, according to CounterPoint Research, you can bet automakers will continue to offer CarPlay compatibility well into the future.

Apple says Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes, Nissan, Polestar, Renault, and Volvo are working on the next iteration of CarPlay. How they integrate the next version of CarPlay, however, is still up in the air.

We’ll have to wait to find out until late 2023, when the iPhone maker says automakers will start introducing the software.

Sign up for Yahoo Finance's Tech newsletter

More from Dan

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit

Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

AFP
Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system
The Philippines said Monday it planned to acquire the US Typhon missile system as part of a push to secure its maritime interests, sparking warnings from China of a regional "arms race".And on Monday, China swiftly condemned the decision to acquire the system as a "provocative and dangerous move" and warned it risked triggering an "arms race".
Reuters
Russian delegation arrives in Iran for meeting with president
A Russian delegation arrived in Tehran for a visit that includes a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Monday, as the two countries prepare to sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement. Iran and Russia have been working on setting a date to complete an agreement, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, adding that the deal is set to be signed during a bilateral visit in January.
AFP
Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate fears
Asian markets rose Monday after big gains on Wall Street, with traders welcoming below-forecast US inflation data that tempered worries that the Federal Reserve will take a more hawkish tone with interest rates next year.Sharp losses in reaction to the forecasts were pared after data showed the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation, came in at 2.4 percent on-year in November.
CNN
Dozens of luxury condos and hotels in Florida are sinking, study finds
The effect is like shaking ground coffee around to create more room, one researcher told CNN. But that wasn’t the startling conclusion.
AFP
Jordan foreign minister holds talks with Syria's new leader
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday, Amman said, the latest high-profile visit since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.It was the first visit by a senior Jordanian official since Assad's fall.
AFP
Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
Japanese auto giants Honda and Nissan on Monday agreed to launch talks on a merger seen as a bid to catch up with Chinese rivals and Tesla on electric vehicles.Ghosn told reporters in Tokyo on Monday via video link from Lebanon, where he is at large, that turning to its arch-rival Honda showed that Nissan was in "panic mode".
AFP
Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
New York City police arrested a man suspected of setting fire to a woman on the subway in Brooklyn who died from the incident, authorities said, calling it "one of the most depraved crimes" a person could commit.The man "calmly walked up to the victim" on the F train in Brooklyn and set her ablaze on Sunday morning, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference.
AFP
China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
Beijing on Monday promised to continue "cooperation" with regional authorities over a Chinese ship linked to the recent severing of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.Beijing on Monday confirmed the ship had left to "to ensure the physical and mental well-being of the crew".
Associated Press
Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes on Gaza kill at least 20 people, Palestinian medics say
Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 20 people. One of the strikes overnight and into Monday hit a tent camp in the Muwasi area, an Israel-declared humanitarian zone, killing eight people, including two children.
Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: Ballerinas turn one of Kenya's largest slums into a stage for a Christmas show
With perfect pirouettes and plies, dozens of young ballet dancers gracefully moved between the makeshift iron houses of one of Africa’s largest urban slums, spreading Christmas spirit. Hundreds of residents in Kenya’s Nairobi cheered as the nimble ballerinas, wearing Santa hats and sparkling colorful outfits, turned the dusty narrow roads of the neighborhood of Kibera into a dance-worthy stage on Saturday. Organized by the Kibera Ballet School, one of the east African country’s smaller institutions that provides free lessons to children who otherwise wouldn’t have had access to this kind of training, the production was the result of rigorous practice.
CNN
Suspect arrested in the killing of a woman who was set on fire on a NYC subway car
New York police have arrested a suspect accused of killing a female subway passenger by setting her on fire Sunday morning, according to police.
Associated Press
Pandas An An and Ke Ke celebrate their 1st Christmas in Hong Kong
A pair of five-year-old pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, celebrated their first Christmas early in a Hong Kong park Monday, munching on special treats and looking cute for the cameras. An An, the male panda, was presented with an ice slab that had “Merry Christmas” written on it with sweet potato and carrots while Ke Ke, his female companion, got a snowman garnished with slices of carrot and apple in a special press event before visitors streamed to the park. China sent the pair to Hong Kong in late September in a bid to boost tourism in the city.
AFP
Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
The Philippine military said Monday it plans to acquire the US Typhon missile system to protect its maritime interests, some of which overlap with regional power China.As a rule, it takes at least two or more years for the Philippine military to acquire a new weapons system from the planning stage, Galido said, adding it was not yet budgeted for 2025.
Reuters
China says it provided information, documents in Baltic Sea cables inquiry
BEIJING (Reuters) -China has provided information and documents to a joint investigation into two severed Baltic Sea undersea cables, and has invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to participate in and complete the inquiry, the foreign ministry said on Monday. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a news briefing when asked about a Financial Times report that Sweden had criticised China for refusing full access despite an open investigation, and for not allowing its public prosecutor to board the suspect ship, Yi Peng 3.
Associated Press
Nissan, Honda announce plans to merge, creating world's No. 3 automaker
Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger, forming the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda's president, Toshihiro Mibe, said Honda and Nissan will pursue unifying their operations under a joint holding company.
Reuters
Taiwan warns defence could suffer under opposition's funding laws
Taiwan's cabinet warned on Monday the island's security might be at risk after opposition parties passed laws that will require cuts in government spending, including defence, at a time when China has ramped up military activity nearby. Taiwan's opposition parties, which hold a majority in parliament, last week passed legislation to shift spending from the central government to local municipalities, a move strongly contested by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and thousands of protesters. The legislation will "seriously weaken the central government's financing," Finance Minister Chuang Tsui-yun said at a media briefing on Monday, adding the government might need to increase debt-financing.
Associated Press
Japan's former Emperor Akihito marks his 91st birthday
Japan's beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace. Akihito, who abdicated in 2019 and handed over the Chrysanthemum throne to his son, Emperor Naruhito, now holds the title of Emperor Emeritus. Akihito has since receded from official duties and enjoys his time quietly while caring for his 90-year-old wife, former Empress Michiko, who broke her leg bone in October and is still recovering, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Reuters
France extends Olympics surveillance measures to Christmas market
The first time French police informed the Chechen refugee that he was prohibited from leaving the northeastern city of Strasbourg and must check in with them daily, he did not think it worth contesting the order. France was in the midst of a massive security operation for the summer Olympic Games, he explained, and he did not think authorities would listen to someone identified as a potential threat because of interactions with people identified as 'pro-Jihadist.' But when the Ministry of Interior extended the order in late August to help protect a famed Christmas market that was the target of a deadly attack in 2018, the refugee, known to friends as Khaled, appealed to the city's administrative court.
Associated Press
In the ruins of a bombed-out church in Lebanon, there's now a tiny Christmas tree
Once a vibrant community center, the 18th-century church is in ruins after an Israeli airstrike in October. Georges Elia, a 40-year-old municipal worker and churchgoer, took it upon himself to bring some normalcy as the holiday season approached, weeks after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants. “This year, Christmas is arriving with sadness for us, but we didn’t want it to be a sad one for the town’s residents and its church,” Elia said.
CNN
Ex-US fighter pilot accused of training Chinese military to be extradited to the United States
A former US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots will be extradited to face charges in the United States, Australia’s Attorney General confirmed Monday, dealing a blow to supporters who have mounted a public campaign for his freedom.

CarPlay will finally be able to control parts of your car

Automakers are making deals with Big Tech

Latest Stories