iOS 10.3 CarPlay Update Introduces Quicker and Safer Way to Launch Most Recent Apps

[MacRumors]

Apple has added a small but useful tweak to CarPlay in iOS 10.3, giving drivers a quicker and safer way to switch between apps without having to take their eyes off the road for long periods of time. Before the update, users had to tap twice to get to another app in CarPlay: one tap to go home, and another tap on the designated app icon.

Image via The Verge​

Now, Apple has streamlined that process. In the left-aligned dock on the CarPlay screen users will now see three recently used apps, so it's always easy to just tap one and jump directly back into Music, Messages, Maps, or any of CarPlay's other apps. Prior to iOS 10.3, the CarPlay dock had just one app at a time in this area.

The slight UI tweak should make it easier for drivers to switch back-and-forth between navigation and entertainment apps while in CarPlay. iOS 10.3 includes a number of other updates on iPhone and iPad devices, including changes to the app launch animation, Find My AirPods, and the ability for developers to update their app icons at any time, without needing to include the artwork change in a full update on the App Store.

Article Link: iOS 10.3 CarPlay Update Introduces Quicker and Safer Way to Launch Most Recent Apps

 

[ccrunner_tj]

This is the bomb. I only use the same 3 apps all the time: Music, Messages, and Maps. So they are now always one tap away. It's the little things that make the difference.

 

[xDKP]

This is the bomb. I only use the same 3 apps all the time: Music, Messages, and Maps. So they are now always one tap away. It's the little things that make the difference.

I actually think the bomb is that this makes for a massively upgraded user experience and it's through an iPhone iOS update. Not by waiting years for the car manufactures to update their systems and force you to buy a new car to get the latest and greatest.

 

[jinnj]

Not by waiting years for the car manufactures to update their systems and force you to buy a new car to get the latest and greatest.

This is the very reason why manufacturers have been trying to create their own for years. Honda just started providing CarPlay in their vehicles and not on all of them. For years they have been working on their own tech which was crap. Reminds me of the built-in Nav and DVD systems that were the big thing a few years ago. Now for the price of it you can buy 3 decent tablets and a NAV app (if you want offline maps).

 

[EdT]

I wish I knew of a honest evaluation of CarPlay. Every time a CarPlay article appears whether here or another site I see a lot of people saying how bad it is. But I have Entune (Toyota), and the problems people complain about with CarPlay I also have, only multiplied by 10. As far as I know, Entune has not been updated, or my vehicle cannot accept an update, since 2012.

For the most part, I want navigation and music/podcast access. I don't see a lot of other apps that I need to use while driving. There are a total of 4 "apps" with Entune-Maps, Open Table, Pandora and weather. I think I can add Stocks-as in stock market- but I have never bothered. That's it. And maps is not really an app, the data is stored on a DVD buried somewhere in the car. This may not be true anymore but 2 years ago I was told an upgraded map DVD's cost was $400.00.

So I m not happy at all with my current entertainment system. But every time I think of trying CarPlay I see a thread where it is being trashed by users and I wonder if I would be exchanging one bad apple for another.

 

[BeyondtheTech]

Ugh, I got excited for a second thinking the final iOS 10.3 was already here.

I love CarPlay now that I got a new car that can actually use it, but now we are in desperate need of apps that support it. I'm talking to you, Waze. Even the Weather and Voice Memo apps, I'm surprised are not natively supported.

 

[newyorkone]

Definitely a step in the right direction, and also agree that this is a quantum leap vs the old once you buy a car, you're locked into that system for the life of ownership nonsense.

 

[Juicy Box]

I wish I knew of a honest evaluation of CarPlay. Every time a CarPlay article appears whether here or another site I see a lot of people saying how bad it is.

But every time I think of trying CarPlay I see a thread where it is being trashed by users and I wonder if I would be exchanging one bad apple for another.

I will try to give you my opinion on CarPlay, and I will tell you the good and bad. I use an iPhone 6s Plus with iOS 9.3.5 and my wife uses an iPhone SE.

If I used three words to describe CP it would be simple, easy, and limited.

My only current CP system is an aftermarket Pioneer App Radio 4 model that I was able to get for only $260 back in Dec 2015. This is used in a 2015 Mazda5 that my wife primarily drives.

A few months of my wife using CP, I asked her what she thought of it, and she said something like "it is okay, but it messes up a lot". I was surprised, so I started using her car more to find out what she meant. CP would sometimes not play music, randomly disconnect, and some other minor issues that could be easily corrected by unplugging and re-plugging the iPhone in. On a rare occasion, the issues could only be corrected by restarting the AppRadio unit, which would mean turning off the car and restarting it.

It still had little annoying bugs, like sometimes on the Pandora App, the "now playing" button disappears, and this is only corrected with re-plugging your phone in.

For operating CP, it is very simple and easy to use. It is designed with safety in mind, but the downside to this is that it is extremely limited.

For example, if the only apps that you use while driving are Apple Maps, Apple's Music App, and text via Siri, then you would probably enjoy CP.

If you like any other navigation app, such as Waze, then you are screwed. There are like 20 apps that are compatible with CP, and almost all of them are music and audio book apps. 20 sounds like a lot, but the only music app that I use that is CP compatible is Pandora. No 8 Track app, no Amazon Prime Music, and no AOL radio app.

I have not tried Apple Maps in a few months, but it was very limited when compared to other navigation apps out there, so it sucks to only have Apple Maps on CP.

About sending texts, if you have any problems sending texts with Siri now, those problems will not get any better with CP. You will be subject to the same downside, but some could potentially be worse.

Example, if you cell phone has crappy coverage were ever you are driving, expect a lot of outages for Siri. If Siri has issues understanding you while sitting in your office at work, expect this to be worse when you add road noise to the situation.

If you have a quiet car, rarely see spotty cell coverage, and Siri works great for you just on the iPhone, then you will probably enjoy using it for texts on CP.

So, like I said, If you like Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Siri for text, you will probably really like CP. If you don't like these things, CP will probably not improve your driving experience.

Overall CP is not as polished as other Apple products and services of the past, but that could be said about many other current things from today.

 

[topgunn]

Still waiting on Waze integration.

 

[macs4nw]

This is the very reason why manufacturers have been trying to create their own for years. Honda just started providing CarPlay in their vehicles and not on all of them. For years they have been working on their own tech which was crap. Reminds me of the built-in Nav and DVD systems that were the big thing a few years ago. Now for the price of it you can buy 3 decent tablets and a NAV app (if you want offline maps).

One might say, Apple has disrupted that business too. The car manufacturers have resisted, but save for a few holdouts, most are now realizing that 'the battle' is over, and they've lost that war.

Not to worry, as long as we are willing to pay hundreds extra for a different paint color, they're doing OK.

 

[EdT]

I will try to give you my opinion on CarPlay, and I will tell you the good and bad. I use an iPhone 6s Plus with iOS 9.3.5 and my wife uses an iPhone SE.

If I used three words to describe CP it would be simple, easy, and limited.

My only current CP system is an aftermarket Pioneer App Radio 4 model that I was able to get for only $260 back in Dec 2015. This is used in a 2015 Mazda5 that my wife primarily drives.

A few months of my wife using CP, I asked her what she thought of it, and she said something like "it is okay, but it messes up a lot". I was surprised, so I started using her car more to find out what she meant. CP would sometimes not play music, randomly disconnect, and some other minor issues that could be easily corrected by unplugging and re-plugging the iPhone in. On a rare occasion, the issues could only be corrected by restarting the AppRadio unit, which would mean turning off the car and restarting it.

It still had little annoying bugs, like sometimes on the Pandora App, the "now playing" button disappears, and this is only corrected with re-plugging your phone in.

For operating CP, it is very simple and easy to use. It is designed with safety in mind, but the downside to this is that it is extremely limited.

For example, if the only apps that you use while driving are Apple Maps, Apple's Music App, and text via Siri, then you would probably enjoy CP.

If you like any other navigation app, such as Waze, then you are screwed. There are like 20 apps that are compatible with CP, and almost all of them are music and audio book apps. 20 sounds like a lot, but the only music app that I use that is CP compatible is Pandora. No 8 Track app, no Amazon Prime Music, and no AOL radio app.

I have not tried Apple Maps in a few months, but it was very limited when compared to other navigation apps out there, so it sucks to only have Apple Maps on CP.

About sending texts, if you have any problems sending texts with Siri now, those problems will not get any better with CP. You will be subject to the same downside, but some could potentially be worse.

Example, if you cell phone has crappy coverage were ever you are driving, expect a lot of outages for Siri. If Siri has issues understanding you while sitting in your office at work, expect this to be worse when you add road noise to the situation.

If you have a quiet car, rarely see spotty cell coverage, and Siri works great for you just on the iPhone, then you will probably enjoy using it for texts on CP.

So, like I said, If you like Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Siri for text, you will probably really like CP. If you don't like these things, CP will probably not improve your driving experience.

Overall CP is not as polished as other Apple products and services of the past, but that could be said about many other current things from today.

Thanks for the review. As I said, most of the things you and your wife are having problems with I have as well with Entune, only it doesn't work as well as CP. The next time I use voice command with Entune and it works will be the first time. The map was out of date the day I bought it, and it has gotten worse in th 5 years since then. But given that you have similar problems it's probably not worth $1000 for just a slight improvement. Thanks again.

 

[vailMike]

I will try to give you my opinion on CarPlay, and I will tell you the good and bad. I use an iPhone 6s Plus with iOS 9.3.5 and my wife uses an iPhone SE.

If I used three words to describe CP it would be simple, easy, and limited.

My only current CP system is an aftermarket Pioneer App Radio 4 model that I was able to get for only $260 back in Dec 2015. This is used in a 2015 Mazda5 that my wife primarily drives.

A few months of my wife using CP, I asked her what she thought of it, and she said something like "it is okay, but it messes up a lot". I was surprised, so I started using her car more to find out what she meant. CP would sometimes not play music, randomly disconnect, and some other minor issues that could be easily corrected by unplugging and re-plugging the iPhone in. On a rare occasion, the issues could only be corrected by restarting the AppRadio unit, which would mean turning off the car and restarting it.

It still had little annoying bugs, like sometimes on the Pandora App, the "now playing" button disappears, and this is only corrected with re-plugging your phone in.

For operating CP, it is very simple and easy to use. It is designed with safety in mind, but the downside to this is that it is extremely limited.

For example, if the only apps that you use while driving are Apple Maps, Apple's Music App, and text via Siri, then you would probably enjoy CP.

If you like any other navigation app, such as Waze, then you are screwed. There are like 20 apps that are compatible with CP, and almost all of them are music and audio book apps. 20 sounds like a lot, but the only music app that I use that is CP compatible is Pandora. No 8 Track app, no Amazon Prime Music, and no AOL radio app.

I have not tried Apple Maps in a few months, but it was very limited when compared to other navigation apps out there, so it sucks to only have Apple Maps on CP.

About sending texts, if you have any problems sending texts with Siri now, those problems will not get any better with CP. You will be subject to the same downside, but some could potentially be worse.

Example, if you cell phone has crappy coverage were ever you are driving, expect a lot of outages for Siri. If Siri has issues understanding you while sitting in your office at work, expect this to be worse when you add road noise to the situation.

If you have a quiet car, rarely see spotty cell coverage, and Siri works great for you just on the iPhone, then you will probably enjoy using it for texts on CP.

So, like I said, If you like Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Siri for text, you will probably really like CP. If you don't like these things, CP will probably not improve your driving experience.

Overall CP is not as polished as other Apple products and services of the past, but that could be said about many other current things from today.

Great review! I have the Pioneer AVH-4200NEX and have the same thoughts. CarPlay is nice, but not a "must have". I do like Apple Maps (I do wish Waze, for police and hazard alerts, was available) and having Siri always available. Downside for me is that it is painful to use the Apple Music app. I always end up using my phone vs going through the CP music interface. Also, I don't think there is a night mode so when using CP at night the screen is quite bright. For me, I was going to get a nice radio regardless (I wanted a large touch screen for the rear backup camera and HD radio) so for a little more CP has been worth it for me.

 

[newdeal]

2 things would make CarPlay awesome. 1: google maps 2: current temperature display on screen at all times

 

[Juicy Box]

The map was out of date the day I bought it, and it has gotten worse in th 5 years since then. But given that you have similar problems it's probably not worth $1000 for just a slight improvement.

I didn't mention this is the review, mostly because it wasn't necessarily comparing CP with auto manufacturers' infotainment systems, but a good thing about using Apple Maps vs some of the auto companies' navigation systems is that Apple Maps is updated for free, and often.

I remember my wife was in the same situation as you when she had her 2007 CX-7. The navigation maps DVD was outdated, and it cost like $300 to get an updated on disk. This was a ridiculous price for something that gets outdated so often. Especially where I live.

An upside to CP is that the Apple Maps will most likely always be up to date. It is the other things about Apple Maps that sucks, when it is compared to other navigation apps like Waze.

I always end up using my phone vs going through the CP music interface.

This is one of the biggest problems with CarPlay. Due to the bugs and limitation of CP's design, I found myself touching my phone more than I ever did with other headunits in the past.

What is the point of making it so limited for safety's sake, if you end up touching your phone anyways.

A lot of this could be fixed with updates though.

 

[DanPhillips]

Great review! I have the Pioneer AVH-4200NEX and have the same thoughts.
...
Downside for me is that it is painful to use the Apple Music app. I always end up using my phone vs going through the CP music interface. Also, I don't think there is a night mode so when using CP at night the screen is quite bright.

Night mode should be provided by the head unit. I have almost the same model of Pioneer (the 4100NEX), and it supports a lower-illumination night mode (with separate settings for both brightness and contrast) via either a connection to the car's headlight switch (requires wiring, but your installer should have done that) or by time of day. It's under the Dimmer Settings menu.

Personally, for playing music, I mostly use Siri. Agreed that the onscreen UI for the Music app is pretty bare-bones, though.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I will try to give you my opinion on CarPlay, and I will tell you the good and bad. I use an iPhone 6s Plus with iOS 9.3.5 and my wife uses an iPhone SE.

If I used three words to describe CP it would be simple, easy, and limited.

My only current CP system is an aftermarket Pioneer App Radio 4 model that I was able to get for only $260 back in Dec 2015. This is used in a 2015 Mazda5 that my wife primarily drives.

A few months of my wife using CP, I asked her what she thought of it, and she said something like "it is okay, but it messes up a lot". I was surprised, so I started using her car more to find out what she meant. CP would sometimes not play music, randomly disconnect, and some other minor issues that could be easily corrected by unplugging and re-plugging the iPhone in. On a rare occasion, the issues could only be corrected by restarting the AppRadio unit, which would mean turning off the car and restarting it.

It still had little annoying bugs, like sometimes on the Pandora App, the "now playing" button disappears, and this is only corrected with re-plugging your phone in.

For operating CP, it is very simple and easy to use. It is designed with safety in mind, but the downside to this is that it is extremely limited.

For example, if the only apps that you use while driving are Apple Maps, Apple's Music App, and text via Siri, then you would probably enjoy CP.

If you like any other navigation app, such as Waze, then you are screwed. There are like 20 apps that are compatible with CP, and almost all of them are music and audio book apps. 20 sounds like a lot, but the only music app that I use that is CP compatible is Pandora. No 8 Track app, no Amazon Prime Music, and no AOL radio app.

I have not tried Apple Maps in a few months, but it was very limited when compared to other navigation apps out there, so it sucks to only have Apple Maps on CP.

About sending texts, if you have any problems sending texts with Siri now, those problems will not get any better with CP. You will be subject to the same downside, but some could potentially be worse.

Example, if you cell phone has crappy coverage were ever you are driving, expect a lot of outages for Siri. If Siri has issues understanding you while sitting in your office at work, expect this to be worse when you add road noise to the situation.

If you have a quiet car, rarely see spotty cell coverage, and Siri works great for you just on the iPhone, then you will probably enjoy using it for texts on CP.

So, like I said, If you like Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Siri for text, you will probably really like CP. If you don't like these things, CP will probably not improve your driving experience.

Overall CP is not as polished as other Apple products and services of the past, but that could be said about many other current things from today.

As another user of CarPlay I'll add that this is pretty accurate. I've had it over a year now and can say that 10.3 beta has really made it more stable and work much safer. Siri is still Siri but at adding the 3 most recent type of apps to the status bar really makes it more efficient and, again, safer. Also they added the ability to see downloaded music. I think it's just about ready for widespread consumer use.

 

[Michael Goff]

Still waiting on Waze integration.

2 things would make CarPlay awesome. 1: google maps 2: current temperature display on screen at all times

Not happening any time soon, I'd wager.

 

[spazzcat]

I wish I knew of a honest evaluation of CarPlay. Every time a CarPlay article appears whether here or another site I see a lot of people saying how bad it is. But I have Entune (Toyota), and the problems people complain about with CarPlay I also have, only multiplied by 10. As far as I know, Entune has not been updated, or my vehicle cannot accept an update, since 2012.

For the most part, I want navigation and music/podcast access. I don't see a lot of other apps that I need to use while driving. There are a total of 4 "apps" with Entune-Maps, Open Table, Pandora and weather. I think I can add Stocks-as in stock market- but I have never bothered. That's it. And maps is not really an app, the data is stored on a DVD buried somewhere in the car. This may not be true anymore but 2 years ago I was told an upgraded map DVD's cost was $400.00.

So I m not happy at all with my current entertainment system. But every time I think of trying CarPlay I see a thread where it is being trashed by users and I wonder if I would be exchanging one bad apple for another.

It's not that is bad, but it could be so much better.
[doublepost=1487011040][/doublepost]

....

For operating CP, it is very simple and easy to use. It is designed with safety in mind, but the downside to this is that it is extremely limited.

For example, if the only apps that you use while driving are Apple Maps, Apple's Music App, and text via Siri, then you would probably enjoy CP.

If you like any other navigation app, such as Waze, then you are screwed. There are like 20 apps that are compatible with CP, and almost all of them are music and audio book apps. 20 sounds like a lot, but the only music app that I use that is CP compatible is Pandora. No 8 Track app, no Amazon Prime Music, and no AOL radio app.

....

It is up to Amazon and AOL to make music apps for CarPlay, and up to Apple to let nav apps like Waze allowed.

 

[44267547]

Not happening any time soon, I'd wager.

Agreed. At this point, waze doesn't seem like a possibility at this point, unless some agreement came to terms. I just don't see This happening. But it's definitely being requested.

 

[topgunn]

Agreed. At this point, waze doesn't seem like a possibility at this point, unless some agreement came to terms. I just don't see
This happening. But it's definitely being requested.

For some reason, Apple doesn't seem to want to let any 3rd party developers in on navigation apps but when they do, I have to believe that Waze will be one of the first in.

 

[44267547]

For some reason, Apple doesn't seem to want to let any 3rd party developers in on navigation apps but when they do, I have to believe that Waze will be one of the first in.

I hope so. Waze has really taken off. It's been nice to use and is improving.

 

[Juicy Box]

It is up to Amazon and AOL to make music apps for CarPlay, and up to Apple to let nav apps like Waze allowed.

Regardless the reason for it, the fact is that those apps are not compatible with CP, which in my mind is a negative for it.

Although I think Apple has the ultimate say on what apps are CP compatible, and not Amazon, AOL, or Waze.

 

[drjwr]

Just from my own experience, running CarPlay in a new 2016 Chevy product, iPhone 7 10.2.1; this is the worst Apple software product I've used in the decade that I've used Apple products. Just to mention two problem areas, which, sadly, are the two CarPlay functions that I use most.

Music: in no particular order, nothing happens when you try to play music; the phone plays music, but the car does not; the car plays music but the screen shows no music; the screen shows music, but nothing plays; enter a playlist and some random song starts, not from that playlist; a playlist sometimes needs to be started several times for it to run. The bugs are creatively endless.

Maps: beyond the separate issue of Maps ongoing inaccuracy (since iOS 10, only 7/17 correct directions here in Midwest/mid-South: St Louis to Chicago to Kansas City to Memphis), highway exit directions missed or given so late that the exit is passed (not cell data or coverage issues, I checked); being told to U-turn on a federal interstate when actually going the correct direction; being given turn directions to enter the interstate when already and for a long time driving on the interstate; Siri voice directions incorrect and different from correct directions on the screen; the Maps screen remaining in dark mode during the height of a summer afternoon; navigation changes often lagging 1/2 mile and several turns behind, and so on.

If CarPlay works well for others, then I'm happy for them. In my new Chevy it has never worked well; Chevrolet blames it entirely on Apple; iOS 10 updates have not helped. As an end-user, I'm stuck with a nearly unusable product.

 

[Michael Goff]

Agreed. At this point, waze doesn't seem like a possibility at this point, unless some agreement came to terms. I just don't see
This happening. But it's definitely being requested.

Waze is owned by Google, who Apple hates.

 

[44267547]

Waze is owned by Google, who Apple hates.

Then that withers at the idea of licensing then. I didn't Waze was owned by Google.