CarPlay

VLC, the popular open source media player, is now available via Apple’s CarPlay platform for the first time. The new VLC app on CarPlay gives you easy access to your audio files while driving, rather than relying on using the iPhone app while behind the wheel.

Over the last several weeks, CarPlay has been in the headlines quite a bit thanks to GM’s decision to bail on the platform and Rivian’s continued resistance. Apple, however, isn’t concerned and has recently updated its website to promote the fact that over 800 cars on the market currently support the feature.

As companies like GM and Rivian face backlash for failing to adopt Apple’s CarPlay platform, Ford is doing the exact opposite. In a statement to 9to5Mac, Ford explained its reasoning for supporting CarPlay…and it has us pondering the future of Ford’s relationship with Apple and next-gen CarPlay.

Eddy Cue teased “iOS in the Car” in 2013, and Apple released CarPlay as an update to iOS 8 a year later. CarPlay was slow to be adopted by automakers in the first few years. Pioneer brought CarPlay to existing cars first in 2014, then Hyundai released the first new vehicle with CarPlay integration in 2015.

Now, a decade since its first public appearance, it has become harder* to buy a new car without CarPlay. Yet General Motors is positioning itself as a new adversary for Apple and CarPlay. Greedy and nefarious reasons for dropping Apple CarPlay from GM EVs are most likely to blame, but I do wonder if a certain preview from Apple is a factor too.

In today’s edition of “things you didn’t know you needed,” Domino’s has announced that you can now order ahead using CarPlay. Using the updated Domino’s app via CarPlay, you can use a simple “Tap to Order” feature to place an order without using your phone at all.

CarPlay is available on the vast majority of cars today, including on electric vehicles from the likes of Ford, Polestar, and others. One of the most notable CarPlay holdouts (alongside Tesla) is Rivian, and new comments from CEO RJ Scaringe today make it clear that the up-and-coming EV company has no plans to adopt Apple’s platform…

General Motors is making the controversial decison to phase out its support for Apple’s CarPlay platform. Instead of supporting CarPlay, GM is teaming up with Google to design custom built-in infotainment systems for future electric cars. This comes after GM went all-in CarPlay just a few years ago…

After being rumored as coming with an update for some time, luxury electric vehicle maker Lucid has officially announced wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are now available and come standard with its connectivity suite.

Uber this week announced a big update coming to its iOS app. More specifically, the Uber Driver app (which is the one used by drivers working for the company) will soon get integration with Apple CarPlay. This will allow drivers to interact with the platform directly from their car dashboard while their iPhone is connected to CarPlay.

iOS 16.3 was released to everyone on Monday, with headlining features including Security Key support for Apple IDs and support for the second-generation HomePod. The update also included a handful of bug fixes and improvements, including a fix for a pesky CarPlay bug.

Porsche is a strong supporter of Apple’s CarPlay platform, particularly in regards to helping owners retrofit CarPlay in classic Porsche cars. As part of those efforts, Porsche has expanded support for retrofitted Bluetooth and CarPlay infotainment systems to early-2000s cars…

Apple showed off the next generation of CarPlay during WWDC 2022, and wow does it look stunning. The complete CarPlay takeover of the infotainment display, dash controls, and more tease us with Apple Car vibes.

While Project Titan remains an R&D project, Apple says the first cars that will work with next-gen CarPlay won’t be announced until the end of 2023. There’s a high chance that drivers will have to wait until 2024 or 2025 to get behind the wheel of next generation CarPlay.

iOS 16 does include a few updates to CarPlay, however, and these features are available to everyone with the software update.

Weather on the Way is a clever app that blends navigation and weather and shows you what conditions to expect throughout your travels. Arriving today is the newest update that brings CarPlay support which means live weather radar plus navigation on your vehicle’s display.

After sharing a sharp concept last year imagining what the future of CarPlay could look like in a Tesla Model 3/Y, designer John Calkins is back with another vision, this time a “modular, customizable layout.” Check out a closer look at this Tesla CarPlay UI that includes elements from the next-generation CarPlay Apple has teased.

CarPlay wallpaper options will expand by three when iOS 16 is released this fall. All three new wallpapers are available in CarPlay, starting with today’s fourth developer beta release.

An over-the-air (OTA) update has brought Apple CarPlay to newer Android-Automotive powered Volvos. CarPlay has been missing on Volvo models ever since the carmaker went with Google’s operating system.

At WWDC, much of the attention was on the fancy next-generation CarPlay Apple previewed, but those experiences won’t appear in cars for several years.

Near term, something new for CarPlay in iOS 16 is the addition of new supported app categories for “fuel and driving tasks,” according to the iOS 16 feature preview page. A report from Reuters today says that some gas station chains are already preparing to take advantage of this and allow drivers to pay for fuel through the car’s infotainment center.

About a week ago, I had Alpine’s newest version of its popular multimedia receiver – the iLX-507 – installed into my beloved nine-year-old car, providing a much-needed upgrade. Head below for more details.

Currently, Tesla cars do not support CarPlay, but by the beginning of the year, 9to5Mac reported a nice project called Tesla Android with CarPlay. Created by developer Michał Gapiński, this workaround to enable CarPlay on Tesla cars has now been updated to version 2022.25.1 with a ton of new features. In addition, it now supports all the cars the company has.

Apple’s car ambitions range from replacing your infotainment system with the iPhone to someday selling self-driving electric vehicles. Not every auto exec is convinced Apple will ever cross the finish line to shipping its own car, however. Meanwhile, more automakers are continuing to adopt Apple CarPlay even as the company teases its next grand vision for taking over your car software.

With more employers transitioning to hybrid work comes more ways to stay connected while on the go. Today, Webex announced its new feature, Move to Mobile, for Apple CarPlay.