CarPlay

Sidecar’s CarPlay web browser/video player is going away after briefly arriving on the App Store. The company behind the app is removing the browser feature at the request of Apple.

CarPlay users often request web browsers and video apps for use while parked, but Apple limits CarPlay apps to a handful of categories. Adapters that run Android apps and display CarPlay exist as a workaround.

However, there’s now an app on the App Store that includes a browser feature for playing video. The CarPlay app loads URLs from the web to play video while parked.

Following the release of iOS 18.4 earlier this month, iPhone users reported several different connectivity problems with CarPlay. Now, Apple has released iOS 18.4.1, which includes a fix for at least one of the reported CarPlay problems…

CarPlay is used and loved by millions of iPhone owners. And while the wait for CarPlay 2 keeps getting longer, iOS 18.4 and other recent updates hint at a promising CarPlay trend.

Apple released iOS 18.4 for iPhone users on with Priority Notifications, new emoji, several changes to CarPlay, and more. According to a growing number of users, however, the iOS 18.4 update has rendered CarPlay unusable in their cars.

Rivian is one of several CarPlay holdouts, opting instead to build its own infotainment system focused on deep integration with the R1S and R1T hardware. A new aftermarket accessory hitting the market this month, however, claims that it will add CarPlay and a wide suite of other apps to Rivian with a do-it-yourself installation process that takes just 25 minutes.

iOS 18.4 is coming soon, as the company released the RC (Release Candidate) build to developers and beta testers on Monday. In addition to the features we already know about, such as Priority Notifications and the expansion of Visual Intelligence, the update also comes with a new API for sports apps in CarPlay.

Almost exactly two years ago, GM announced its controversial decision to drop CarPlay support from its EVs. Shortly thereafter, the automaker began rolling out its “Ultifi” infotainment software, which was so buggy it left one reviewer stranded in rural Virginia.

Now, GM is cracking down on the only CarPlay retrofit that was available for its EVs.

Apple is rolling out a notable update to Apple Maps EV Routing for Ford drivers. Starting today, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers can use Apple Maps EV Routing via CarPlay to plan road trips that include Tesla Superchargers – or any station that uses the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.

Drivers love Apple CarPlay because it enables safe interaction with iPhone apps through the car’s built-in screen. It turns out police in Australia are benefiting from CarPlay for a whole other safety purpose.

Apple Maps EV routing is one of the most compelling CarPlay features, giving drivers a way to plan a route that automatically includes charging stops.

Now, it looks like iOS 18.4 will address one of the biggest limitations of Apple Maps EV routing…

Apple has a CarPlay problem. Actually, Apple has two CarPlay problems. One of those is well-documented: next-generation CarPlay was announced at WWDC 2022 and is still not available in any car, though Apple swears it’s still working with “several automakers” to implement it.

What could be Apple’s bigger problem, however, is its neglect of CarPlay 1.0 – the CarPlay experience that exists in millions of vehicles already on the road today.

Three weeks into 2025, Apple has now updated its CarPlay website with one small, but noteworthy change: CarPlay 2 is no longer promised to arrive in 2024, thus confirming the delay.

Apple, however, says its work on next generation CarPlay continues…

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against General Motors and OnStar for selling location and driving data from millions of GM car owners, allegedly without informed consent. This data was collected as frequently as every three seconds.

Both companies have been banned from selling location and driving behavior data for a period of five years, and will need to ensure they disclose any future sharing plans, and obtain proper consent for it …

Apple’s next generation of CarPlay, often referred to as CarPlay 2, is still nowhere to be found despite a 2024 deadline. Here’s why it’s time for Apple to take a radically new approach and reboot CarPlay 2.

CarPlay’s major next generation still isn’t here yet, despite Apple’s website currently saying that the first models would arrive in 2024. But now, a widget interface for CarPlay 2 has leaked in new images and given a glimpse into Apple’s ongoing development.

At CES last week, BMW unveiled a major revamp to its iDrive infotainment system, built on the new “BMW Operating System X.” The revamp brings a new “BMW Panoramic Vision” design with infotainment that stretches around, described as “high tech meets highly intuitive operation.”

The good news is that the new iDrive system still supports Apple CarPlay. The bad news, however, is that BMW has done the bare minimum to integrate CarPlay – and it’s actually a downgrade in some ways.

Ever wish you could rearrange or delete apps from CarPlay? It turns out you can, although it works differently than rearranging your iPhone Home screen.

The trick is in the Settings app on iPhone. Just don’t try to do this while driving. You don’t even need to be connected to CarPlay for it to work.

Apple in 2022 announced a new CarPlay experience that became known as “CarPlay 2.0.” However, this new version of CarPlay has yet to see the light of day – and many wonder if Apple quietly scrapped the project as the company missed the deadline twice. But 9to5Mac has found evidence that Apple is still working on it.

CarPlay 2, aka next-generation CarPlay, was announced way back in the summer of 2022. At the time, Apple said that a list of supporting cars would be available in 2023, and two brands were later said to be launching in 2024.

Today is the last chance to hit that deadline, and Apple’s CarPlay webpage still carries that promise. Unless there’s a surprise announcement later today, the question is: Will the date be quietly changed to 2025, or is this project now dead in the water … ?