The popular Amazon-owned Audible audiobooks service is the latest app to gain support for Apple’s CarPlay feature. The new version of Audible’s iPhone app released today now will automatically appear on CarPlay head units once installed on your iPhone so you can find and control audiobook playback from your library using the interface optimized for driving. The update includes a long list of other changes as well including:
• Lock Screen/Control Center – Previously, the Lock Screen/Control Center buttons were always chapter forward/back, even if your settings were for 30-second forward/back. Now, your lock screen/Control Center will feature the correct icons.
• Sleep Timer – There is now a “Reset Timer” option after the sleep timer ends, reducing the number of taps from 4 to 2.
• Sleep Timer – The fade-out returns.
• Discover – On iPhone, we’ve updated the visual design by removing the dark overlay and going to a grid.
• Discover – On iPad, we’ve replaced “Discover” with a true browse experience (it used to just be search). It should now mirror the iPhone version.
• When you sample a book from a book detail page in “Discover” or search, it now plays in the player. This allows you to leave the detail page and still listen to the sample.
• New Tab Bar – We moved Settings into the main navigation and created an overflow menu (on iPhone) for the items that no longer fit on the main tab.
Audible isn’t the first audiobooks service to be added to CarPlay, however, as Audibooks.com gained support earlier this year. Similarly, Apple is adding support for its own audiobooks sold through iTunes in the upcoming iOS 8.4 update as its moving audiobooks into the now pre-installed iBooks app.
Including CarPlay support in an iPhone app still requires special approval from Apple, which explains the growing but limited list of current apps that support the feature. Apple clearly believes audiobook playback should be a part of the CarPlay platform, though, with three options available.
Audible for iPhone, now with CarPlay support, is available for free on the App Store.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
That’s nice, but now we need some car manufacturers (other than Ferrari) to start shipping cars with carplay. I fear this will be another Apple initiative which third parties will ignore.
Yeah aftermarket like Pioneer and Alpine is the only real way to go, and they weren’t even initial launch partners.
Do you know of a model, or link for after market CarPlay attend you can install in your vehicle?
This is one of the cheaper models: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SPHDA120-APPRADIO4-Apple-Carplay/dp/B00O8B7CFS/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1&ie=UTF8&keywords=pioneer%2Bapp%2Bradio%2B4&tag=n003f1-20&qid=1431973545
They will start to appear soon 2015/16 car models will appear towards the end of the year with this integrated
Sounds great, but since uploading the update I haven’t been able to open the audible app without it crashing on startup.