These Apple CarPlay Ultra Partners Now Say They Won't Support It

[Sophisticatednut]

True. But it does not invalidate what I said. instead they could have done what Tesla did.

The fact is that manufacturers opened the door to CarPlay and Android Auto. Heck they were even convinced to pay for it. You got used for it …

Look it today. Now you are saying that CarPlay is worth more to you than a good and safe car. So that decision to patch insufficiency instead of developing the a good solution, not only devalued their property but also payed for the previlege. Yes people demand good infotainment.

Well even Tesla ****ed up the interface with everything being touch based and removing every useful button 😅

I'm not a fan of my Toyota's infotainment system either, but I use CarPlay 95% of the time. The only thing I could see CarPlay Ultra adding that I might use is integrated radio system controls, but I would have preferred that they just put physical buttons for the radio instead. However, if they added physical buttons, that means CarPlay Ultra would be completely superfluous. Anyhow, the main radio station I listen to is the local news channel. I just have it preprogrammed into the infotainment system, and can access it from the steering wheel control button. And have no interest in CarPlay Ultra taking over the instrument cluster, especially given that I already have turn-by-turn instructions there from Apple Maps (if I choose to show it there) and even have it in my head up display as well.

Infotainment screen:

View attachment 2523286

Head up display:

View attachment 2523290

BTW, they have an online app for internet radio on iOS for that news channel. However, it doesn't seem to be optimized for CarPlay widgets yet, not surprisingly. iOS 26 has a widget for it but it is currently problematic. If you select that internet radio station then switch to something like Spotify, CarPlay plays BOTH the news channel and Spotify simultaneously. Oops. Hopefully, this will be fixed once the release version of CarPlay 26 is out. This is not a problem with Spotify vs. Apple Music though. You can switch between those no problem. It only plays the one selected.

Well even with that it’s terrible on the Kia EV6. That includes the instrument panel.

I would just rather use the applecarplay ultra to have a more useful dashboard than what KIA normally provide. Just having the CarPlay on the side screen for navigation is kind of mediocre.

So I hope my EV6 2023 will either support it or I will have the ability to install some third party solution to make it compatible

 

[EugW]

Pretty happy with my toyota rav4 with the big dash tbh

integrates iTunes and Maps with the dash with regular CarPlay.
has physical knobs for HVAC
steering wheel buttons talk to CarPlay just fine
decent size display for the rest of the CarPlay stuff

Not sure I'd want ultra.

2026 RAV4 gets the new Arene OS, which integrates everything from the infotainment unit to the base OS that runs the engine electronics. Unfortunately for the dash controls, they did away with some of the real buttons and went with a reduced number of buttons, and they are touch capacitive.

 

[ds2000]

Does anyone really care? I don’t need my dashboard to be full on Apple, I just want to play my music and get directions.

Underrated post.
If I were a new manufacturer then I'd welcome Apple with open arms, let them handle all the UI / Nav / Music etc. For most users, we don't care.

Well the problem is that Apple's solution is still just projection software that requires an iPhone to work; manufacturers would still need to provide in-dash software so the car can work without an iPhone. So it's not like carmakers can just let Apple handle the UI/Nav/Music.

Android Automotive OS (which is completely different than the similarly named Android Auto) is just that - it's a full blown infotainment and dash OS that manufacturers can drop in and customize to the car, with or without Google's services added on. (Audi's new cars use AAOS but don't have Google's services tacked on, they use their own maps; GMs new cars use AAOS but do have Google services enabled - both support CarPlay save for GM's EV lineup).

Apple doesn't really offer anything to compete with that, and they haven't adapted their Android app offerings to run on AAOS.

I personally prefer the apple approach. Everyone has a smart phone these days so its just a case of plugging it in (or wireless - I prefer the cable #oldman).

My main reason for this is that the phone is much more likely to be kept up to date, so in 10 years while the hardware in the car is likely to be pretty old and you can't update the OS, the phone will. I think the Aston Valk (an extreme example) pretty much just has a screen and carplay becomes the infotainment.

 

[JapanApple]

Since Mercedes-Benz is involved by China the BAIC Group, it makes sense that this occurred (frankly speaking, Mercedes-Benz is not the company it used to be). wouldn't buy their car. To many other brands to get that is better nowadays.

Geely Holding and Volvo Cars = (Polestar) that a no brainer

 

[Cod3rror]

I like the idea of this, but I don't like the idea of it being proprietary to Apple. Keep it open, so Android (or future other brands) can link into it, or don't bother. I keep my cars A LOT longer than my phones.

But your phones get a lot more updated than your car. Car software gets outdated in a year or two.

Also, you replace your phone hardware, but the OS is the same, so overall, you may keep your "phone" longer.

 

[Cod3rror]

Preferably, I would rather not have the infotainment screen at all. I much prefer the cleaner dashboards of pre-2005 cars.

But if there have to be there, I would rather Apple take over them. Car companies don't know how to do software, their infotainment systems are terrible, laggy, have a poor design.

And very importantly, they are aimed at extracting more money out of you through subscriptions and feature locks. I don't want to pay for yet another thing.

I don't get people who are concerned with privacy, you are already trusting the iPhone with your data. Do you think car manufactures can do software better than Apple?

I would personally love an integration where I get into a car, it recognises my phone and the screens go into CarPlay mode, the way I organised and set them up. The seats and mirrors adjust to the way I like them. The car uses the Internet from my phone.

I get out, it goes to default.

That way you can get into any car and get the same familiar experience.

I want the iPhone to be the CPU of the car. Rather than the car being another computer, and a subscription service.

 

[throAU]

2026 RAV4 gets the new Arene OS, which integrates everything from the infotainment unit to the base OS that runs the engine electronics. Unfortunately for the dash controls, they did away with some of the real buttons and went with a reduced number of buttons, and they are touch capacitive.

Yeah one reason I bought a 25.... last version of existing model > first version of new model

 

[Nuno Lopes]

Well even Tesla ****ed up the interface with everything being touch based and removing every useful button 😅

I understand that people may want CarPlay Ultra. That wasn't my argument. My question is, if for Car creates makes more business sense to pull the Apple business model and apply to themselves. In which case there is little business sense for them to adopt CarPlay Ultra into their platform, unless an obscene lump sum of money is on the table ... say per user activation or usage at higher prices say than Google. Unlike Google search defaults in Safari, this will be a pervasive UI that the user will get used to across the board. Any changes after the fact, say because the business deal is no longer that good, will act against them. Take how people feel regarding CarPlay and their decision to buy a car or not.

In the end they are providing Apple motive to sell more iPhones, then to monetize even more third party digital businesses, so on and so forth. What do Car makers get? Sell more cars? Not really.

I understand that small car maker trying to get into the field such support might be a differentiator. For very high end cars, maybe, but it opens the door for consumer pressure for the rest of the models. For others, I see this as a too risky of a move. The true value of a Car and engineering complexity is not in CarPlay, but once it is there, controlling the entire experience, its becomes an integral part for which they will have little control on the deal.

They should instead, verticalize their platform. Like Apple does with its platform.

Look. As I said, the problem here is trust. Considering Apple modus operandi along the years, becoming even more aggressive to third party businesses, resisting to any kind of regulation when needed, I find it hard the market will react as welcome as they did back in 2010. I think most users and businesses are quite happy leaving Apple influence enclosed in their iPhones and avoid an all experience in other devices. At least outside US. Apple is not known to have a interop culture.

Another way is to Apple to partner with auto maker, say Mercedes, Volvo, or several to build an iCar and sell it in the Apple Stores or Apple Stands within automakers shops. Those cars will be equipped of course with CarPlay Ultra, Max or whatever. Maybe at 100k for starters (or more).

 

[TheBigLevski]

I care because have you used the interfaces from these cars? Also, the Apple would be able to add themes/new items as long as you have an iPhone vs. the carmaker not doing anything.

I get carmakers don't want to give up control though - but their behavior won't benefit the customer in this scenario.

I also care... And is not like Renault wil not be giving data away, seeing as they adopted some kind of Google OS for their cars, which others did too. So citing data as the reason is hilarious.

And what subscriptions are they planning on selling? Monthly updates maybe... Start manufacturing cars that actually work for more than 3 years and shut up about software as the ones you are making (and made before) is abysmal.

 

[macbookj0e]

Name the unfavorable terms.

I obviously don’t have them which is why I said “have probably given”

 

[Sophisticatednut]

I understand that people may want CarPlay Ultra. That wasn't my argument. My question is, if for Car creates makes more business sense to pull the Apple business model and apply to themselves. In which case there is little business sense for them to adopt CarPlay Ultra into their platform, unless an obscene lump sum of money is on the table ... say per user activation or usage at higher prices say than Google. Unlike Google search defaults in Safari, this will be a pervasive UI that the user will get used to across the board. Any changes after the fact, say because the business deal is no longer that good, will act against them. Take how people feel regarding CarPlay and their decision to buy a car or not.

In the end they are providing Apple motive to sell more iPhones, then to monetize even more third party digital businesses, so on and so forth. What do Car makers get? Sell more cars? Not really.

I understand that small car maker trying to get into the field such support might be a differentiator. For very high end cars, maybe, but it opens the door for consumer pressure for the rest of the models. For others, I see this as a too risky of a move. The true value of a Car and engineering complexity is not in CarPlay, but once it is there, controlling the entire experience, its becomes an integral part for which they will have little control on the deal.

They should instead, verticalize their platform. Like Apple does with its platform.

Look. As I said, the problem here is trust. Considering Apple modus operandi along the years, becoming even more aggressive to third party businesses, resisting to any kind of regulation when needed, I find it hard the market will react as welcome as they did back in 2010. I think most users and businesses are quite happy leaving Apple influence enclosed in their iPhones and avoid an all experience in other devices. At least outside US. Apple is not known to have a interop culture.

Another way is to Apple to partner with auto maker, say Mercedes, Volvo, or several to build an iCar and sell it in the Apple Stores or Apple Stands within automakers shops. Those cars will be equipped of course with CarPlay Ultra, Max or whatever. Maybe at 100k for starters (or more).

Well honestly I can’t see what Car manufacturers lose on it. Especially considering how terrible any service they tend to have related to the infotainment system.

 

[EugW]

Well honestly I can’t see what Car manufacturers lose on it. Especially considering how terrible any service they tend to have related to the infotainment system.

CarPlay standard already covers the infotainment system. As I've said before, don't conflate CarPlay with CarPlay Ultra.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

CarPlay standard already covers the infotainment system. As I've said before, don't conflate CarPlay with CarPlay Ultra.

I’m speaking about CarPlay ultra.

But As I want to have it’s much further integration so it can replace the entire KIA infotainment system.

 

[bushman4]

Most people don’t want a standardized dashboard in their car. While it’s a unifying factor it takes away from the uniqueness of the individual car
To put it differently, it’s ’overkill’.

 

[TheBigLevski]

It makes no sense that Audi would back out if Porsche is still doing it. They're both part of VW.

They ar both part of all part of

Have you used the most recent cars? My 2025 Toyota Camry has dual 12.3” screens, one for the instrument cluster and one for the infotainment system. The instrument cluster can be themed and adjusted for preference, and also incorporates now-playing audio titles and turn-by-turn navigation instructions from CarPlay. I like this setup way more than giving up control to gimmicky CarPlay Ultra. This way I get the reliability of Toyota’s design where it matters, and the CarPlay multimedia features for the second screen.

BTW, I have iOS 26 CarPlay already, and while an improvement over iOS 18 CarPlay, I’m not exactly inspired by it.


Yup, see above.

Yes, I have used the most recent cars... and as a (sort of) developer, I can see how even the newest cars have **** software, with almost no updates or updates spread apart for months or even years... And their UI, don't get me started there, is it a tablet or a car, they just can't decide... Even Toyota.. they know how to make cars, but software? Not even close to what Apple and (although I despise it) even Google can make.

 

[EugW]

They ar both part of all part of

Yes, I have used the most recent cars... and as a (sort of) developer, I can see how even the newest cars have **** software, with almost no updates or updates spread apart for months or even years... And their UI, don't get me started there, is it a tablet or a car, they just can't decide... Even Toyota.. they know how to make cars, but software? Not even close to what Apple and (although I despise it) even Google can make.

Again, it sounds like you’re talking about the infotainment screen. That’s already addressed by CarPlay.

The instrument cluster is a completely different thing.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Most people don’t want a standardized dashboard in their car. While it’s a unifying factor it takes away from the uniqueness of the individual car
To put it differently, it’s ’overkill’.

To be fair. Nobody cares about the uniqueness of the infotainment system when it’s crappy.

If you have CarPlay ultra or Android OS auto it allows every individual some customization and uniqueness.

 

[anthony11]

Does anyone really care? I don’t need my dashboard to be full on Apple, I just want to play my music and get directions.

Exactly, which is what is incomplete today.

I desperately would love for the CarPlay screen to show the directions and to have a panel or inset showing the cover art and title of the song currently playing, and a way to advance to the next album.

That is currently not possible.

More than half of the primary display is taken up by static or pointless graphics, so I would LOVE the have the ability to have a box there showing the song art / title.

I have yet to see a native vehicle infotainment system worth the hassle of maintaining yet another copy / configuration of the same data. My phone comes with me, I want the car to be able to display from it. They don't want their "systems" invaded because they uniformly suffer from fatal weaknesses.

 

[EugW]

Exactly, which is what is incomplete today.

I desperately would love for the CarPlay screen to show the directions and to have a panel or inset showing the cover art and title of the song currently playing, and a way to advance to the next album.

That is currently not possible.

More than half of the primary display is taken up by static or pointless graphics, so I would LOVE the have the ability to have a box there showing the song art / title.

I have yet to see a native vehicle infotainment system worth the hassle of maintaining yet another copy / configuration of the same data. My phone comes with me, I want the car to be able to display from it. They don't want their "systems" invaded because they uniformly suffer from fatal weaknesses.

I'm not sure what you mean. This is what I get with CarPlay 26 in my car. Is this not what you're asking for?



And at the same time in my head up display, I get this.

I can also get the navigation turn-by-turn directions in the instrument cluster but I've turned that off since I already have it in my head up display. However, I did keep the song title in my instrument cluster.

This is NOT CarPlay Ultra. This is regular CarPlay in my Camry. The stuff in the instrument cluster and head up display is not CarPlay. It is getting the CarPlay navigation and song info, but displaying it using Toyota's native OS in the instrument cluster and head up display.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

I'm not sure what you mean. This is what I get with CarPlay 26 in my car. Is this not what you're asking for?

View attachment 2523518

And at the same time in my head up display, I get this.

View attachment 2523519

I can also get the navigation turn-by-turn directions in the instrument cluster but I've turned that off since I already have it in my head up display. However, I did keep the song title in my instrument cluster.

This is NOT CarPlay Ultra. This is regular CarPlay in my Camry.

Yes but how about the instrument panel?

 

[EugW]

Yes but how about the instrument panel?
View attachment 2523524

I edited my post as you were posting yours, but I don't want a full nav map in my instrument panel. I already stated I do get my turn-by-turn directions there if I want* and the song title, and that's all I need there, since I already have the full nav and music interface on the infotainment screen. The rest of the space in the instrument panel is... well.. the various instruments and related info. Anyhow, AFAIK, having full nav in the instrument panel is not what @anthony11 was asking for.

*As mentioned, I turned off turn-by-turn directions from CarPlay in the instrument panel because I already have it in my head up display, as shown in the head up display picture in my prior post.

 

[TheBigLevski]

Again, it sounds like you’re talking about the infotainment screen. That’s already addressed by CarPlay.

The instrument cluster is a completely different thing.

I am talking about both actually, not just one or the other. But there is always a possibility of some car manufacturers getting it right... but until they do, they should stick to what they know best, build the car, let someone competent do the software and the UI'UX.

And there should be choices... maybe let the buyer decide what they want for the instrument cluster and infotainment... one could choose OEM, Carplay Ultra or Android (whatever they call the os this year), or even opensource/DIY - hey they could even charge more for these features (the first ones to do it I expect some royalties from this idea)

just my two cents...

 

[jrhmobile]

"revenue streams from in-car services"
This alone tells us enough that is not about the user experience.
When will these greedy companies realize people are sick and tired of being robbed by subscription "services"?
Meanwhile, so many of these automakers are happy to sign up with Google Automotive Service. 🥲

Yeah, because we all know Apple would never try to make money off users with subscription services.

You are kidding, right?

 

[EugW]

I am talking about both actually, not just one or the other. But there is always a possibility of some car manufacturers getting it right... but until they do, they should stick to what they know best, build the car, let someone competent do the software and the UI'UX.

And there should be choices... maybe let the buyer decide what they want for the instrument cluster and infotainment... one could choose OEM, Carplay Ultra or Android (whatever they call the os this year), or even opensource/DIY - hey they could even charge more for these features (the first ones to do it I expect some royalties from this idea)

just my two cents...

OK fair enough. I just don't think there really is that much draw for CarPlay Ultra. Everyone wants CarPlay (or Android Auto) but it's not the same sentiment for CarPlay Ultra in the mainstream.

 

[B4U]

Yeah, because we all know Apple would never try to make money off users with subscription services.

You are kidding, right?

Last time I checked, CarPlay is free.