Apple Highlights Two Smaller CarPlay Changes on iOS 18.4 and iOS 26

[MacRumors]

CarPlay is gaining a lot of new features with iOS 26, including a Liquid Glass design, Live Activities, widgets, the ability to use Tapbacks and view pinned conversations in the Messages app, and more. But that's not all, as Apple has outlined another change coming to CarPlay with iOS 26 in a WWDC 2025 video for developers.

Specifically, Apple said that iOS 26 will allow CarPlay users to interact with mapping apps using multi-touch gestures in supported vehicles. This will allow users to zoom and pan on the map with their fingers, just like they can on an iPhone.

"Many new vehicles support multitouch interactions, including any vehicle that supports CarPlay Ultra," said Olivia Hess, a CarPlay software engineer at Apple, in the video session. "Starting in iOS 26, if a vehicle supports multitouch interactions in CarPlay, drivers can interact with your navigation app using multitouch gestures."

In the video, Apple highlighted another small but useful improvement to CarPlay that is available with iOS 18.4 and later: a sports mode for audio apps.

CarPlay apps that stream audio for live sports events can now show a scoreboard for the game on the CarPlay screen, right alongside controls for the audio feed. The revamped Now Playing view can show team logos, scores, the game clock, and more.

iOS 18.4 was released in late March, while iOS 26 is currently available in developer beta and will be released to all users later this year.

Earlier today, we reported that CarPlay will also be gaining the ability to play videos from an iPhone via AirPlay in supported vehicles.

Article Link: Apple Highlights Two Smaller CarPlay Changes on iOS 18.4 and iOS 26

 

[breenmask]

why does maps look like an Atari game?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

❌ Show urgent messages from your contacts? Nah, too distracting - just strain to listen to TTS and struggle with the industry worst voice controls!
✅ Show sports scores which are already clearly communicated by professional human sportscasters that you're currently listening to.

This is such a bizarre niche feature - I assume the Apple Music team wants it or something and that's why it's being added. Apple is really taunting regulators as hard as they can to demonstrate that they're a monopoly that needs to be broken up.

Can I get the different rocket company dashboards to show up on Carplay? I'm sure Tim Dodd would love to integrate with this so that I can listen to an audio feed of his live launch coverage that includes metrics for the current launch time, speed, altitude, orientation, fuel & engine status, etc...

It's just as relevant and only as distracting to the whole activity of driving a car when 100% of your focus should be solely on that lest you commit vehicular manslaughter.

Does the NHTSA and related agencies monitor CarPlay and whatnot? Seems like they should call Apple out on this crap - direct the car manufacturers to issue recalls and disable CarPlay versions which are deemed unacceptably distracting.

 

[mikebenton]

Apple Maps in CarPlay is the worst. If you zoom out, Maps will just automatically zoom in right away. If you are about to make a turn, Maps is so zoomed in that you can't see where you should be going after that turn. This happens to me daily - I approach a 2-lane left turn and I'm not sure if I should be in the left or right turn lane because of another turn that may be within a block or two of my current turn. I question whether the folks who design these products actually use them on a daily basis. Just one example of many....

 

[DribbleCastle]

Multitouch is not a small improvement. It’s a huge! CarPlay users have been living in stone ages for years. It’s ridiculous that it’s taken this long to support. Android Auto has had it for at least 8 years and the mapping apps are way better.

This is great news, but think I’ll stick with my dedicated Android phone for the car. $15 per month is worth it for a better software experience on my daily commute.

 

[MozMan68]

why does maps look like an Atari game?

Apple made, in my opinion, the incredibly smart decision to make Maps features digital versus the constantly out of date and "road blocking" satellite view used by Google.

Apple's ever expanding 3D world includes trees/bushes, elevation, buildings, road markings, etc.

This type of Map is much more accurate and easier to update as well as provide helpful navigation features like adjusting the view to a viewer perspective and true lane guidance during complicated interchanges.

Currently only available in DCE (Detailed City Experience) areas, I'm guessing it will be introduced country wide in any full LookAround countries, but starting with updated USA and UK maps first for a larger impact.

 

[turbineseaplane]

CarPlay apps that stream audio for live sports events can now show a scoreboard for the game on the CarPlay screen, right alongside controls for the audio feed. The revamped Now Playing view can show team logos, scores, the game clock, and more.

Ok, wth are we doin' here?

Is CarPlay supposed to be a "safer" way to user your phone in the car or not?

 

[gleepskip]

My Mazda's CarPlay display supports zero-touch. The new interface looks like it will be cumbersome to use with a knob with so many controls on the screen.

 

[MozMan68]

Apple Maps in CarPlay is the worst. If you zoom out, Maps will just automatically zoom in right away. If you are about to make a turn, Maps is so zoomed in that you can't see where you should be going after that turn. This happens to me daily - I approach a 2-lane left turn and I'm not sure if I should be in the left or right turn lane because of another turn that may be within a block or two of my current turn. I question whether the folks who design these products actually use them on a daily basis. Just one example of many....

This is adjusted in iOS26...

 

[MozMan68]

Ok, wth are we doin' here?

Is CarPlay supposed to be a "safer" way to user your phone in the car or not?

Read it more closely....it will simply show an a notification bubble. No different than getting a notification when a text comes through. Just like the scores shown on the lock screen today when you use those apps.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Read it more closely....it will simply show an a notification bubble. No different than getting a notification when a text comes through. Just like the scores shown on the lock screen today when you use those apps.

It's just more stuff that I'm not sure should be happening if "increased safety" (vs using your phone) is the goal here.

 

[Logic368]

Apple Maps in CarPlay is the worst. If you zoom out, Maps will just automatically zoom in right away. If you are about to make a turn, Maps is so zoomed in that you can't see where you should be going after that turn. This happens to me daily - I approach a 2-lane left turn and I'm not sure if I should be in the left or right turn lane because of another turn that may be within a block or two of my current turn. I question whether the folks who design these products actually use them on a daily basis. Just one example of many....

Totally agree... has probably caused tons of accidents this way already. Absolutely idiotic that not only does it zoom in when approaching turns, it literally changes perspective... how does one have have any depth perception on the map with this BS.

 

[npmacuser5]

Apple assumes that everyone has airline pilot vision and discipline. Applies to the iPhone also. Apple, have two new system settings, please. AI and Liquid Glass all features off. Will add more on/off requests later.

 

[Rychiar]

glad car manufacturers are catching up to 2007 screen tech....

 

[Rychiar]

My Mazda's CarPlay display supports zero-touch. The new interface looks like it will be cumbersome to use with a knob with so many controls on the screen.

I never understood why those knob systems even exist

 

[turbineseaplane]

I never understood why those knob systems even exist

Theoretically they'd be safer and quicker, if they were paired up with an OS designed to work with them.

All of this was supposed to get drivers away from "playing around with a distracting touch screen".

Instead we've essentially turned all these cars into HUGE IPADS

 

[Rychiar]

Theoretically they'd be safer and quicker, if they were paired up with an OS designed to work with them.

might as well just go back to no screen at all or at least have a dedicated OS in the car for it instead of CarPlay

 

[turbineseaplane]

might as well just go back to no screen at all or at least have a dedicated OS in the car for it instead of CarPlay

That's basically where this has ended up, yep

 

[citysnaps]

Apple CarPlay works great on our cars. Looking forward to the new features.

 

[slomtbr]

And yet, this persists in iOS26…
A message is read by Siri
Siri, “Do you want to reply?”
Me, “No”
Siri, “Sending, ‘no’”
It was flawless in iOS 16
It began in iOS17.something.
Feedback submitted several times without a response.

 

[Truckondo]

Currently, I have multitouch on Apple Maps but only in non navigation mode. Once it’s in navigation mode, multitouch does not work. It used to in iOS 17. Glad to see iOS 26 bring it back.

 

[psac]

I would love to be able to use voice commands with the maps app. Simply while in carplay maps move, activate Siri from my steering wheel link (which works now for commands like text ___ to send my wife a voice text), and just be able to say "zoom out" or "zoom in" and have that work.

 

[MozMan68]

It's just more stuff that I'm not sure should be happening if "increased safety" (vs using your phone) is the goal here.

I don't totally disagree when it comes to the driver, but what car manufacturers...and Apple...have realized is that there is typically more than the driver utilizing or looking at the main screen. I personally don't think glancing over and seeing a current score/time left is a huge distraction, but that's me.

 

[lanceuppercut47]

I have one of those retrofit CarPlay kits that integrates into my car's native system so my control is via the steering wheel/MMI knob to get me around it.

At the moment I don't miss not having touch as my main use is for it to act as a satnav, so once I get moving, I don't need to mess around with it. If I need to skip to pause music, I have a hardware dial to do that.

I wonder how widgets will work with non-touch capable CarPlay units?

 

[hagjohn]

Love CarPlay but I use Waze instead of Apple Maps. My screen is vertical in length, not horizontal, so I wonder how that will look.