CarPlay Is car play upgradable on an existing older car?

[Starfyre]

With normal car navigation systems, what comes with the car is what comes with the car. No upgrades unless you buy a newer vehicle.

What about CarPlay? If there is a new feature that comes out for CarPlay in say 2020, can you upgrade the CarPlay on your vehicle you buy this year to that latest version? Or do you have to buy a new car in 2020 with the new version?

 

[TiggrToo]

With normal car navigation systems, what comes with the car is what comes with the car. No upgrades unless you buy a newer vehicle.

What about CarPlay? If there is a new feature that comes out for CarPlay in say 2020, can you upgrade the CarPlay on your vehicle you buy this year to that latest version? Or do you have to buy a new car in 2020 with the new version?

Thunk it may depend on the vehicle and manufacturer. Hyundai for example states you just need to bring your vehicle in to a dealer, part with some of your hard earned filthy lucre, and they'll upgrade it for you in return.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Some MFGs can do an update while others give you no options as far as using the existing equipment.

I would call your local dealer and they should be able to help you

 

[einmusiker]

CarPlay is really just an app on your iPhone. It will be updated with iPhone update. Your cars screen just mirrors it (if compatible)

 

[BlankStar]

What the last poster said. CarPlay upgrades with your iOS-version and iPhone ;-)

 

[Starfyre]

Okay so are you saying the first two replies are really... just plain wrong?! I thought CarPlay was an app in the cars dashboard?

 

[Feenician]

Okay so are you saying the first two replies are really... just plain wrong?! I thought CarPlay was an app in the cars dashboard?

Shades of grey there. CarPlay and CarPlay functionality do upgrade with iOS. For instance Apple are adding 3rd party map support in iOS 12 and that 100% will not require updates to any existing car with CarPlay support.

However there is a burden on the vehicle manufacturer to correctly implement the CarPlay protocol, handover control to it and integrate with essential controls of their own (climate controls for example). This can certainly change in quality and reliability over software updates on the vehicle side.

In short though, @BlankStar is correct. The substantive features of CarPlay are tied to iOS.

 

[BlankStar]

Yup, only thing that your manufacturer needs to upgrade is when there are some new hardware-features. Like wireless carplay.

The moment your iPhone is connected to your car, with CarPlay ofcourse, it will use the screen of your car as a second screen. It's like you would stick your iPhone there and it changes its interface to be more car-friendly.

 

[Starfyre]

So is carplay "future proof" then? Like a monitor is futureproof as long it has HDMI input? Should not have to worry about a future iPhone release with a newer version of carplay not working with the current carplay-supported cars right?

 

[Feenician]

So is carplay "future proof" then? Like a monitor is futureproof as long it has HDMI input? Should not have to worry about a future iPhone release with a newer version of carplay not working with the current carplay-supported cars right?

It should be safe for a number of years at least. It’s possible that Apple may change the CarPlay protocol at some point, which would require an update of the software or perhaps even hardware of a car. However, it’s just as likely they won’t, or won’t for quite a long time.

 

[BlankStar]

CarPlay is still too "young" for us to know, but Apple can't expect people to buy a new car to go with their latest iPhone to keep it working...

Then again, it is Apple we're talking about...

 

[Marshall73]

CarPlay requires investment from the vehicle manufacturer (they pay Apple for the license and have to have a compatible certified chipset, some manufacturers bear this cost, others offer it as a paid upgrade to activate CarPlay) once its in the vehicle, as noted by others, the CarPlay experience is powered by your device. If you bought a car without CarPlay and had no upgrade path via the car manufacturer you could purchase a 3rd party head unit which supports CarPlay and fit it yourself.

 

[simonsi]

It should be safe for a number of years at least. It’s possible that Apple may change the CarPlay protocol at some point, which would require an update of the software or perhaps even hardware of a car. However, it’s just as likely they won’t, or won’t for quite a long time.

Although even then they are highly likely to make any such change backwards-compatible with the previous implementation.

 

[Feenician]

Although even then they are highly likely to make any such change backwards-compatible with the previous implementation.

Very true. Probably a negotiation sequence to determine the version.

 

[rworne]

So is carplay "future proof" then? Like a monitor is futureproof as long it has HDMI input? Should not have to worry about a future iPhone release with a newer version of carplay not working with the current carplay-supported cars right?

Dunno there.

There are/were cars that worked with the old style 30-pin connector and some that accepted video input from iOS devices.

You are safe as long as Apple thinks it is worthwhile to continue development of CarPlay.