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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,280
30,342



App developer Steven Troughton-Smith posted a number of images on Twitter of what appears to be Apple's upcoming iOS in the Car interface. The files may have been bundled into the recently released iOS 7.1 beta 4, but it is unclear how Troughton-Smith was able to obtain the images, which show a simple iOS 7-style Maps design. When asked for clarification on the origin of the images, Troughton-Smith declined to comment.

First introduced alongside iOS 7, the upcoming iOS in the Car feature is designed to provide enhanced iOS integration in automobiles, offering an iOS-style interface on the car's touchscreen dash that allows users to make phone calls, access Maps, control music, and more. As shown in the screenshots, the software includes a warning screen like most typical GPS software, and it also has a home screen and an area for bookmarks.

iosinthecar1.png
The images of iOS in the Car provided by Troughton-Smith are quite different from those that have been provided by Apple in marketing materials, but that could be due to an evolution of the software's development. In the image below, Troughton-Smith's screenshot is compared to Apple's early example of iOS in the Car.

iosinthecar5.jpg
iOS in the Car as shown on Apple's website on the bottom, iOS in the Car screenshot on the top
On Apple's iOS 7 website, iOS in the Car is listed as "Coming soon" and the company has given few hints as to when it might make an appearance in cars. In mid-2013, Tim Cook said that iOS in the Car was an "important part of the [Apple] ecosystem" and a "key focus."

Many car makers have expressed interest in including iOS in the Car in their 2014 models, including Audi, BMW, Acura, Chevrolet, Honda, and more. While Honda has included new HondaLink connectivity in its newly released models and several car manufacturers have implemented support for last year's Siri Eyes Free, cars with full support for iOS in the Car have yet to be released.

Specific iOS in the Car settings were found in the second iOS 7.1 beta, leading some to believe that iOS in the Car support could be a feature bundled into iOS 7.1. Currently on its fourth beta iteration, it is unknown when iOS 7.1 will be released to the public.

Article Link: Leaked 'iOS in the Car' Screenshots Show Possible Design Evolution
 

TwoBytes

macrumors 68040
Jun 2, 2008
3,086
2,032
hope we see aftermarket stereos with screens so you can plug your phone in and drive
 

theheadguy

macrumors 65816
Apr 26, 2005
1,156
1,385
california
I love it, just not sure about the "home button" at the bottom. Looks kind of ridiculous to carry this over from the iPhone. Plus (and this happens with my own car navigation), a button in the bottom center is easy to miss, especially while driving. If the finger touches slightly above, it moves the map instead.
 

Frizers

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2013
105
11
Should be on ios20 by the time I can afford a car that has an ios7 interface... depending on how difficult upgrading the OS will be
 

AngerDanger

Graphics
Staff member
Dec 9, 2008
5,452
29,002
I can't wait for people to play Angry Birds Go while driving. Especially since the controls are accelerometer-based.

es5y86R.png
 
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Lepton

macrumors 6502a
Apr 13, 2002
855
299
Cold Spring Harbor, NY
As an app developer that just released NewsBrain (myallo.com), which I hope will work well with iOS in the car, I wish we had more info on making compatible apps.

I'm thinking if you make an app that follows what many music apps do, you might be good. My app, an RSS reader that reads the news aloud, has touch controls like tap and swipe - I think iOS in the car screens will have touch? The audio goes through Bluetooth and AirPlay, and it obeys the audio remote controls, play/pause, fast forward etc., which seems obvious. And the screen works in landscape since I think iOS in the car will tend to be that, and it also puts article images on the lock screen like music apps do with album covers, in case that is a mechanism for putting info on the car screen.

Any other rumors/info on making iOS in the Car compatible apps?
 

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
looks like any modern UI, which is a good thing and nothing wrong with that, but people will still says it look like android.
 

waylandprod

macrumors newbie
Jan 27, 2008
9
0
Let's just hope you can use Google Maps OR Apple Maps... Hate to see them lock in their own map as default again.
 

viperGTS

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2010
1,560
941
I thought Honda was trying to implement their own solution? I read an article here not too long ago that they released their own apps. I hope that Honda adopts iOS in the Car instead though...
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Many car makers have expressed interest in including iOS in the Car in their 2014 models, including Audi, BMW, Acura, Chevrolet, Honda, and more.

I haven't done a lick of research, but IIRC BMW specially said it WAS NOT going to incorporate iOS in the Car in 2014 or near future because of its planning requirements. For the time being it will use Siri Eyes instead.
 

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
I tried to hold onto my old car long enough for this! I love the idea of having navigation and communication driven by iOS but with a bigger, built-in screen. (Just don't ask me to control things like climate from a touchscreen. Please.)

Meanwhile, a dash-mount iPhone plus steering wheel controls isn't half bad for now.
 

pgiguere1

macrumors 68020
May 28, 2009
2,167
1,200
Montreal, Canada
The new design is more functionnal as it allows more vertical space which was lacking in the original design.

However, what's up with the graphical quality of maps? It looks all blurry and glitched. I hope that's only because it didn't finish streaming.

I also wonder what that thing that looks like a spinning wheel at the top-left corner is. The fact it's a full circle makes it look more like a button than a loading indicator.
 

OriginalMacRat

macrumors 6502a
Mar 9, 2007
591
863
Just put an iPad mount in the car.

I don't need embedded toys that are outdated in a couple of years.

My car came with a cassette player for example. :)
 

179202

Cancelled
Apr 14, 2008
939
217
Please don't tell me you're actually enough of a sheep to buy an entire car for this as opposed to just buying a new stereo...

Wow, are you on the wrong website?

Why even judge people for what they'd like to buy anyway? Shhhh.
 
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