What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

[MacRumors]

At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more.

Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared any additional details heading into the final month of the year, so it's unclear if that timeframe will still be met. We have reached out to Apple for an update on the matter.

Below, we have recapped five key features to expect from the new version of CarPlay. Apple said committed automakers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Volvo, and a few others.

Next-Generation CarPlay Features

Instrument Cluster Integration

The new CarPlay experience will provide integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster, including the speedometer, tachometer, odometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, and more. Apple says drivers will be able to choose from several gauge cluster designs and layouts, including brand‑specific options.

Climate Controls

You'll be able to access your vehicle's climate controls directly within the new version of CarPlay, allowing you to adjust the temperature of the A/C or heat, fan speed, heated seats, heated steering wheel, and other options.

Multi-Display Support

The new version of CarPlay will be able to appear across all of the displays in a vehicle, providing a consistent experience across the infotainment system, instrument cluster, and any additional screens on the dashboard. Apple says CarPlay will be tailored to each new vehicle model to accommodate unique screen shapes and layouts.

Widgets

Widgets will be a key part of the new CarPlay experience, offering at-a-glance information such as trip duration, fuel economy, distance traveled, calendar events, weather, phone calls, the status of a HomeKit-enabled garage door, and more. It will also be possible to view and scroll through the widgets within the instrument cluster.

FM Radio App

The new version of CarPlay will include an all-new Radio app that allows you to easily control the FM radio in your vehicle, such as to change the station.

CarPlay on iOS 17

In the meantime, CarPlay includes a handful of new features and changes when used with an iPhone running iOS 17, including SharePlay support in the Music app for passengers and real-time electric vehicle charging station availability.

iOS 17 was released in September for the iPhone XS and newer. To update, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update.

Article Link: What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

 

[Rychiar]

Could easily be retrofit to old cars if car manufacturers actually cared about buyers and did firmware updates 😑

 

[FSMBP]

Cannot wait for this...Car manufacturers (except Tesla) have poor/slow UIs. This will be a nice addition!

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I wish they would do some updates on the regular carplay, too.

 

[rdinterman]

I just want a weather widget on CarPlay!

 

[Joseph C]

I hope regular CarPlay gets some of the UI updates too for the millions of us in cars that won't support the next gen.

Could easily be retrofit to old cars if car manufacturers actually cared about buyers and did firmware updates 😑

Totally agree. My car is less than a year old and has a 10 inch infotainment screen and a 10 inch all-digital instrument cluster.

It would be awesome to get the new CarPlay on it, but alas they won't. We can only hope legacy CarPlay gets some of the new UI and features.

 

[dwaltwhit]

I hope my current car lasts long enough that my next car will have this

 

[Kylo83]

It’s not coming, why did they speak about it ages ago?

 

[matttarantino]

AirPower, is that you?

 

[verniesgarden]

I expect an update that just says, "More information coming spring 2024"

 

[Carlson-online]

It doesn't say coming 2023 at all.

It says "Vehicle announcements coming in late 2023", which is a very different thing. Most likely a list of cars that won't be released until this time next year

 

[victorvictoria]

I don't need more features. My 2022 XC40 has all that stuff and more built in already. I just want the features it has now to work better, sort of like the factory voice controls. Press the button on the steering wheel, say "turn on the driver side seat heater, and turn the fan up to high." Done. "Play XM Deep Tracks channel." Done. "Play WXRT FM." Done. "Navigate to 109 Fleet Landing Boulevard Atlantic Beach Florida." Done. "Turn off Adaptive Cruise Control."

Just make it work better and faster. Got so sick of my brother screaming "Hey Siri!!! Take me to Taos New Mexico" over and over in his 2023 Tundra and getting no response at least half the time. Then his wife screaming at it to no avail.

 

[Sweetfeld28]

I hope this works for all cars that support or have CarPlay... my 2015 Titanium Ford Edge has three screens... Navi and one on either side of the odometer main dial area.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

To be blunt I forgot this was even coming

 

[seanmcbay]

Still looks a bit too busy for a car dashboard in my opinion.

 

[sparkinstx]

I'd like to see Toyota support this - I might soon be in the market for a '24 Sienna.

 

[toobravetosave]

cars have become wildly more dangerous than the phones everyone agrees nobody should be using while driving

 

[IJ Reilly]

Key fact not mentioned here: "next gen" CarPlay will not be a projection from your phone. The features being advertised are obviously impossible with the current method of phone dependence. Just like Android Automotive, next gen CarPlay will be resident on the car's hardware. Another key fact not really explained here: next gen CarPlay is very unlikely to run on cars that weren't designed for it.

 

[Sarcastro]

"Hey Siri, set the AC to 72 degrees"

"Got it - setting parking brake to engaged."

 

[one more]

Rolling out CarPlay 2 can be as tricky as its initial rollout. I mean some people still struggle getting the original CarPlay work well with their cars. I am lucky, as my leased car is three years old and handles the existing wired CarPlay just fine, but I am somewhat sceptical that many carmakers will rush to implement it with their already existing offerings. Would be awesome, though.

 

[fwmireault]

Could easily be retrofit to old cars if car manufacturers actually cared about buyers and did firmware updates 😑

I'm not so sure it could be retrofit without any hardware upgrade, the new generation needs access to information such as speed, AC controls, fuel level, etc. Not all car manufacturers digitally monitor that, and I assume they need to collect this data in a specific way to work with CarPlay

 

[alexandr]

So is BMW not included in this because Apple's mad at them for the whole wireless charging fiasco?

 

[verniesgarden]

"Hey Siri, set the AC to 72 degrees"

"Got it - setting parking brake to engaged."

I think you meant, "this is what I found on the web about setting the parking break."

 

[munpip214]

CarPlay is the most buggy software I have and in a car you need to have the least amount of distractions. Needs to be very robust.

 

[MegaBlue]

a decent amount can still be done to regular CarPlay.

The current layout is fine on smaller screens but they take the Android route of just stretching the elements on larger ones. iOS can already detect the car’s display size and orientation, so I really think they should utilize that to improve design on larger screens that won’t get CarPlay 2.

Obviously features like climate controls, maps in the HUD, etc. will rely on changes to the car’s infotainment, but let me remind you some of these features have already been available as early as iOS 12. Cars have already had the ability to display CarPlay Maps data In a car’s instrument cluster or heads-up display, just almost nobody added it.