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Here's What Automakers Told Us About CarPlay Ultra (Not Very Much)
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I think it can support very recent models of cars that have the right types of infotainment systems. Recent cars likely from the list of car makers who pledged support for CarPlay 2.0.
Apple's trouble is that they no longer have market power, but they're acting like they do. No company is going to choose to rely on Apple's integration (and figuring out all the bugs) unless consumers are demanding it. For example, currently my Toyota RAV4 carplay doesn't work with GPS, which is a known problem on multiple makes, yet the car manufacturers can't fix it without Apple's help.
On the other hand, all consumers really want from Apple is what CarPlay already offers, so there's really not a lot of incentive, especially because Apple no longer has a reputation of "just working".
Because automakers are notorious **** at designing interfaces.
I have high hopes for Hyundai's adoption of CarPlay Ultra, in part because they've also proven to be committed to physical button interfaces for climate control and comfort settings.
Well I agree, but Volvo has the worst system in Geely group, who has one of the weakest software in China
It seems like the majority of people commenting here are confused. It is easy to see why. Apple has named two different products with almost the same name, "CarPlay" and "CarPlay Ultra" are two different products
CarPlay is what we all have seen. What it does is basically mirror your iPhone to the car's larger screen. The software mostly runs on your phone. The only thing running on the car is the mirroring function.
Carplay Ultra is DIFFERENT. This software runs on the Car's computer and does not need a phone. It handles things like making the windows go up and down, controlling the aircoditioner and telling you how fast the car is moving and the oil pressure. None of us have seen or used CarPlay Ultra.
Competing with "Ulta" is "Android Automotive." Again iot does NOT run on a phone. It runs on the car's computer and does the "Ultra" does. But one HUGE different "Automotive is OPEN SCOURSE you and I and the car companies can look inside and see how it works and even change it (if you have accesst ot eh FLASH chips in the computer.)
Google is marketing this the same way they market Android to cell phone makers, "Use our software as a base, on your own hardware". Car companies are likinf this better then what Apple is offeing.
But as said, so many commenters here think is is "just a newer CarPlay. It is not. This software is for automotive engineers. The car companies ask questions like "How easy is it for me to customize this software? Can I make major changes and how will my changes work with future versions of your software?" Google is giving the car companies more of what they want.
Please do not say you would not buy a car unless it has "Ultra". You would never know, the door locks would work the same and "ultra" has no apps.
CarPlay is what we all have seen. What it does is basically mirror your iPhone to the car's larger screen. The software mostly runs on your phone. The only thing running on the car is the mirroring function.
Carplay Ultra is DIFFERENT. This software runs on the Car's computer and does not need a phone. It handles things like making the windows go up and down, controlling the aircoditioner and telling you how fast the car is moving and the oil pressure. None of us have seen or used CarPlay Ultra.
Competing with "Ulta" is "Android Automotive." Again iot does NOT run on a phone. It runs on the car's computer and does the "Ultra" does. But one HUGE different "Automotive is OPEN SCOURSE you and I and the car companies can look inside and see how it works and even change it (if you have accesst ot eh FLASH chips in the computer.)
Google is marketing this the same way they market Android to cell phone makers, "Use our software as a base, on your own hardware". Car companies are likinf this better then what Apple is offeing.
But as said, so many commenters here think is is "just a newer CarPlay. It is not. This software is for automotive engineers. The car companies ask questions like "How easy is it for me to customize this software? Can I make major changes and how will my changes work with future versions of your software?" Google is giving the car companies more of what they want.
Please do not say you would not buy a car unless it has "Ultra". You would never know, the door locks would work the same and "ultra" has no apps.
If this is the case, I definitely do not want Carplay Ultra. The last thing I need is for the car to crap out if the car's computer crashes. I'm suppose to pull over and reset/reboot my car? I'm old school. I want buttons and knobs for AC control. I want my windows switch controlled. Old fashion Speedo/Tac gauge works for me. I like the little LED symbols telling me what's happening with my car, except for the helicopter light.
It is nice when you rent a car with CarPlay. The screen is familiar and you don't have learn a bunch of new buttons.
CarPlay ultra will flop. It took Apple this long after announcing it to unveil the Aston Martin. There is no way this gains any traction in 5 years.
I don’t think the original poster is correct. There is a video on YouTube from Top Gear testing out CarPlay Ultra. You definitely need your iPhone with you, CarPlay Ultra is not installed in the car, just integrated when connected. It is also clear from the video that Aston Martin did customise CarPlay Ultra and you still have access to whatever buttons are in the car.If this is the case, I definitely do not want Carplay Ultra. The last thing I need is for the car to crap out if the car's computer crashes. I'm suppose to pull over and reset/reboot my car? I'm old school. I want buttons and knobs for AC control. I want my windows switch controlled. Old fashion Speedo/Tac gauge works for me. I like the little LED symbols telling me what's happening with my car, except for the helicopter light.
I hate that one.
It’s pretty clear that if you don’t have your iPhone or it dies or something happens to it, the car will default to its own OS. There is no way this was not considered in the development of it. It seems not many people watched this video (which was posted in MacRumors) but feel like they know everything about CarPlay Ultra
Exactly this.
Without an iPhone get the standard Aston Martin interface.
With iPhone get CarPlay ultra with Aston Martin designed range of specific CarPlay interfaces. If the driver wants it.
The Aston Martin/Carplay Ultra interfaces can be customised by the driver to a limited degree allowed by Aston Martin.
The Car manufacturer builds on the CarPlay Ultra software its own layer of look and feel, while still being clearly CarPlay. And it seems, cleaner and more intuitive than most of the dreck produced by the manufacturers own UI teams.
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That's precious. You don't think there's valuable user data in how you drive your car, where you travel to, what media you consume, on and on.
Honestly, please think about it and do some research. That data is tremendously valuable for many, many industries.
And this is why Apple should have stuck to its Apple car plans.
Forcing an industry to opt in vs just creating the perfect modern car would have kept Apple in the lead in a new industry.
Instead it got scared and decided to cancel the Apple car plans - car play ultra may not get wide adoption.
time for a bolder Apple ceo that is firm on pushing new products out… maybe Apple car can be a thing again under the right management… we shall see far into the future.
Forcing an industry to opt in vs just creating the perfect modern car would have kept Apple in the lead in a new industry.
Instead it got scared and decided to cancel the Apple car plans - car play ultra may not get wide adoption.
time for a bolder Apple ceo that is firm on pushing new products out… maybe Apple car can be a thing again under the right management… we shall see far into the future.
If they want to sell me a car, it must have Apple CarPlay Ultra.
Earlier this month, Apple announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its in-vehicle software system. CarPlay Ultra is currently limited to luxury Aston Martin vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, but Apple said that many other automakers around the world are working to offer it within the next year.
We asked more than a dozen automakers about their CarPlay Ultra plans, and we have rounded up their responses below. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the companies had little to nothing to say about their future plans, and they may not want to risk upsetting Apple by divulging information prematurely.
Apple's announcement did reveal that Hyundai, along with its Kia and Genesis brands, are among the automakers that are committed to offering CarPlay Ultra. A spokesperson for Hyundai confirmed that the automaker intends to offer CarPlay Ultra, and it plans to share additional information when possible in the future.
A spokesperson for Volvo said that it was one of the committed automakers included in Apple's list when it first announced next-generation CarPlay in June 2022. However, the company did not confirm if it still plans to offer CarPlay Ultra.
That original list from 2022 was as follows:
Porsche previewed its next-generation CarPlay instrument cluster design in late 2023, but the automaker has not provided an update since then.
- Acura
- Audi
- Ford
- Honda
- Infiniti
- Jaguar
- Land Rover
- Lincoln
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Porsche
- Renault
- Volvo
Mercedes-Benz has since expressed a lack of willingness to let Apple essentially take over its software experience, so it may not offer CarPlay Ultra after all.
Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have yet to respond to our inquiries.
Subaru will be assessing CarPlay Ultra for future vehicle models in its lineup, according to a company spokesperson. Mazda offered a vaguer response, with a representative there confirming that the company is always evaluating new technologies to offer the best customer experience, without mentioning CarPlay Ultra specifically.
GM ditched CarPlay in its new EVs, so it is hard to see the automaker adopting CarPlay Ultra across its brands like Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.
A spokesperson for Ford declined to comment, while other automakers like BMW, GM, and Toyota have yet to respond to our inquiries.
A spokesperson for Honda said the automaker was among the first to offer regular CarPlay, as it values the technology and the customer's in-car user experience. However, it had nothing to announce about CarPlay Ultra at this time.
As the title of this article made clear, these responses do not amount to very much. Most automakers offered non-answers, or sideways answers at best, which aligns with Apple's culture of secrecy. But, we wanted to share what we heard.
CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust the color scheme. To learn more, read our coverage of Apple's announcement.
Article Link: Here's What Automakers Told Us About CarPlay Ultra (Not Very Much)
When CP works it’s good with Waze map integration. Biggest annoyance (software glitch) with CP is it never shows my entire list of downloaded music. So I have to scroll on my phone to get the album I want (which is dangerous / illegal when driving). Why should I have to pull over just to select/tell my phone to goto what I want to listen to. Just makes me want to plug in my 20yr old sony mp3 player which plays music no problems.
Also CP starts playing music that I haven’t downloaded to my phone immediately when I plug my phone in (this will be apple pushing Apple Music service to me which I despise this practise).
Yet another part of apple software system poorly thought out & half baked. Eventually I’ll move away from apple because of this approach.
Also CP starts playing music that I haven’t downloaded to my phone immediately when I plug my phone in (this will be apple pushing Apple Music service to me which I despise this practise).
Yet another part of apple software system poorly thought out & half baked. Eventually I’ll move away from apple because of this approach.
To be honest, most in-car voice assistants are pretty terrible. Even big names like BMW haven’t nailed it. They sell their cars in Sweden, yet their assistant doesn’t even support the Swedish language. Sure, I can switch to English, but the moment I ask for a location, it struggles—because, well, Swedish street names don’t exactly have direct English translations (lol).
That’s why I don’t bother updating my car’s built-in maps—it’s basically useless for me. CarPlay is a decent alternative, especially for maps and music, which were the only reasons I wanted it in my car. But even then, Siri often drives me up the wall
Volvo, on the other hand, has been using Google’s system for a while now, and from what I’ve seen, most owners seem pretty happy with it. I had a Volvo myself—before the Google integration—and even back then, it handled both Swedish and English surprisingly well. You’d expect nothing less from a Swedish car, even if it’s now Chinese-owned.
The truth is, carmakers may be excellent at building vehicles, but when it comes to infotainment and voice assistants, they really fall short. Collaborations with tech giants make sense—but as for Siri, in her current form, I wouldn’t want her in my car. I bet many manufacturers who once had big plans around Siri are now quietly backing off, realizing she’s far from what Apple originally promised.
That’s why I don’t bother updating my car’s built-in maps—it’s basically useless for me. CarPlay is a decent alternative, especially for maps and music, which were the only reasons I wanted it in my car. But even then, Siri often drives me up the wall
Volvo, on the other hand, has been using Google’s system for a while now, and from what I’ve seen, most owners seem pretty happy with it. I had a Volvo myself—before the Google integration—and even back then, it handled both Swedish and English surprisingly well. You’d expect nothing less from a Swedish car, even if it’s now Chinese-owned.
The truth is, carmakers may be excellent at building vehicles, but when it comes to infotainment and voice assistants, they really fall short. Collaborations with tech giants make sense—but as for Siri, in her current form, I wouldn’t want her in my car. I bet many manufacturers who once had big plans around Siri are now quietly backing off, realizing she’s far from what Apple originally promised.
They dont lose any data given Apple is tying into APIs on the onboard computers.
Apple isnt, for example, taking over the actual speedometer, just its UI.
That said one of the first things I’m doing when I buy a new car this year is pulling the fuse for the onboard network connections, I dont *want* to give ford my data (on ford specifically I will say I appreciate that they break out that fuse and the car is fine with it pulled, it makes it easier to disable than, say, GM)
That's not true. Apple requires the data as a condition of creating the experience. Also, if Apple's interface is replacing the other services with CarPlay (standard) including navigation, media, etc. the automaker misses out on that data entirely.
This only becomes more important as in-vehicle experiences become driven by AI going forward. Automakers and Apple know that.
I like Car Play. However, I don't think it is wise from a legal liability standpoint for Apple take over the display of critical operating information like speed and rpm. It isn't wise for either carmaker or Apple.
All of those things are already true for og carplay. Apple gets more data also, sure, with ultra, but the car companies arent losing anything they would have had with the customer already using regular carplay