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iOS 27: 8+ New CarPlay Features

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With iOS 27, Apple is introducing several CarPlay features that will improve your in-car experience, both when you're driving and when you're idle in the car. From new video experiences to Siri AI, there are multiple new options to look forward to.

8-CarPlay-Features-in-iOS-27-Feature.jpg

Video Apps

CarPlay apps can include video browsing capabilities, so you can browse for and watch videos on your in-car display while parked. The video playback feature does not work when a car is in motion for safety reasons, but if you're watching something and shift into drive, playback will switch to audio only.

iPhone apps that support AirPlay can also stream content to the car's display.

Video apps require car manufacturers to enable support on the vehicle, and no automakers have announced plans to add support as of now. The Apple TV app is the first confirmed app that will work with the feature.

Siri AI

Apple's smarter, more capable version of Siri can be used in the car for hands-free conversations. Siri AI for CarPlay works like Siri AI on other devices, so you can ask it to complete tasks or find information for you while you drive.

Conversations in CarPlay sync to the Siri app on iPhone so you can pick them up later.

Audio

There is a persistent mini-player for the Now Playing CarPlay template. The player shows artwork and playback controls in the top right corner of audio and media apps.

The Now Playing interface in CarPlay also has a progress bar, so you can jump to a specific spot in a song, podcast, or audiobook.

Wallpapers

CarPlay includes the new iOS 27 wallpapers, formatted for the CarPlay interface. The wallpapers have wave-style designs in a range of colors, with 14 total options available.

CarPlay in iOS 27 also supports larger, more interactive content thumbnails, and it uses the updated Liquid Glass icons for apps like Maps and Weather.

Route Data

Navigation apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps can share route data with a vehicle for adding information like EV charging stops in directions. The car can check a map route against the range of the vehicle, and suggest a charging stop.

Reliability and Location Accuracy

Apple says wireless CarPlay is more reliable in iOS 27, with improved GPS location accuracy and navigation heading detection.

Voice Control

All app categories are can now offer a voice control option, and Apple has designed a voice control template that can be integrated into apps for voice conversations.

Natural Language Improvements

In Apple Maps, Apple extended natural language search to navigation, and that also works with CarPlay. You can ask Siri for directions that avoid toll roads, highways, and more.

Compatibility

Using the new CarPlay features in iOS 27 requires a connected iPhone with iOS 27 installed. For Siri AI, you'll need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

Availability

iOS 27 is available to developers and public beta testers right now, with a public launch expected in September.

Article Link: iOS 27: 8+ New CarPlay Features
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-27-carplay/
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iOS 27 was supposed to be a Snow Leopard-style update focusing on under-the-hood things (like bug fixes and streamlining the code in order to optimize it), meaning no new features. But Tim Cook just couldn’t help himself and just had do what he always does, which is to jam-pack every new release with new features in order to have the marketing team promote them, in order to maximize profits. Cook is an incorrigible bean-counter who never cared about user-friendliness.
 
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ThomasJL said:
iOS 27 was supposed to be a Snow Leopard-style update focusing on under-the-hood things (like bug fixes and streamlining the code in order to optimize it), meaning no new features. But Tim Cook just couldn’t help himself and do what he always does, which is to jam-pack every new release with new features in order to have the marketing team promote them, in order to maximize profits. Cook is an incorrigible bean-counter who never cared about user-friendliness.
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ha, you think Tim Cook actually cares about the number of software features in CarPlay? I think he cares more about if you sign up for Apple One and/or have an iCloud subscription.

Also, when did they ever say no new features? Even Snow Leopard had new features.
 
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Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but I'm going to go ahead and predict no car makers will implement support for video-in-vehicle for existing cars.

I think it's in fact more likely for the ones like GM who refuse to use CarPlay to make a deal with Netflix and do that directly instead in exchange for revenue sharing.

Taking one's own device content and putting it on a dumb display is increasingly becoming an idea like libraries.

Why would we ever do something that's good for the people when we can control and charge them for every single bit of the "experience?"
 
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CarPlay has no way of knowing when you shift into drive, but your iPhone can detect motion. So I'm betting this is how the new video feature will actually work.
 
"Video apps require car manufacturers to enable support on the vehicle."

Way to go and screw over aftermarket head units and pretty much every car out there. This feature should never be allowed up to car manufacturers to decide whether to enable it or not. Apple can stop you doing certain things now when the car is in motion by detecting it using the GPS or accelerometer, so if the car is stopped, just allow videos, so if you attempt to move while it's playing one, just pause and hide the video. It's not that hard.
 
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Radeon85 said:
"Video apps require car manufacturers to enable support on the vehicle."

Way to go and screw over aftermarket head units and pretty much every car out there. This feature should never be allowed up to car manufacturers to decide whether to enable it or not. Apple can stop you doing certain things now when the car is in motion by detecting it using the GPS or accelerometer, so if the car is stopped, just allow videos, so if you attempt to move while it's playing one, just pause and hide the video. It's not that hard.
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It will never happen if the manufacturers have to enable it
 
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MacRumors said:
Navigation apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps can share route data with a vehicle for adding information like EV charging stops in directions. The car can check a map route against the range of the vehicle, and suggest a charging stop.
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That feature requires that the EV allows CarPlay access to its data (range), not sure which EV supports that today
 
Good to know about the changes. Video apps could be useful. Not sure how many car manufacturers will support this and if so when.
 
Apple needs to redesign the CarPlay video feature to use motion and GPS data from the connected iPhone to enable/disable video playback. Car manufacturers are never going to get around to adding this, especially for any existing vehicle.
 
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IJ Reilly said:
CarPlay has no way of knowing when you shift into drive, but your iPhone can detect motion. So I'm betting this is how the new video feature will actually work.
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They are requiring the car to tell Carplay when the car is parked, taking the phone completely out of the equation. The car manufacturer has to support the function though, so not sure the functionality will ever appear in the real world!
 
I would love video apps - I am frequently watching sports at home and then driving and would love to have the audio running even if the screen is off.
 
And yet I STILL can’t get widgets to stay turned off. Dear Apple: no one wants widgets on their dashboard, mkay?
Siri isn’t “smarter and more capable,” she’s dumber than a sack of hammers compared to ios26, especially when it comes to the primary thing I use her for in CarPlay: replying to text messages while driving. Sack. Of. Hammers.
 
Glad to know everyone hates CarPlay. 🤣 I had one car that didn’t support it. I sold the car and bought one that did. CarPlay is much better than all options imo. And I can’t actually remember having a problem with it. It does what it should do.
 
Anyone test this out with a manual transmission car? CarPlay is aware of motion since I can’t scroll on Spotify above 6 MPH. It gets into this mode where the queue won’t scroll forever. Not sure if the car is passing data to it saying “hey I’m driving now” or if the phone uses GPS. I’m assuming it’s the car, since when auto headlights trigger, CarPlay maps go into dark mode. My car is a 2021 Mazda Miata manual.
 
DocMultimedia said:
Glad to know everyone hates CarPlay. 🤣 I had one car that didn’t support it. I sold the car and bought one that did. CarPlay is much better than all options imo. And I can’t actually remember having a problem with it. It does what it should do.
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Sorry but who here said they “hate CarPlay?”
I’m seeing only three criticisms in this thread:
1) car makers themselves not more fully supporting CarPlay features.
2) Apple not better implementing pinch to zoom control in map apps.
3) my specific issues with CarPlay in ios27.

I love CarPlay. If I get a rental car that doesn’t have it I go right back to the counter to swap for one that does. F that.
 
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