Next-gen CarPlay

It promises to change the way you use your Car, So what's the latest?

- Rob Mead-Green

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2022 was remarkable for many reasons – from the launch of the Apple silicon M2 chip, macOS Ventura, iOS/iPadOS 16 and watchOS 8 to something Apple called “the next generation of CarPlay”. CarPlay, of course, is the name Apple gives to your iPhone’s ability to interact with your car, bringing features such as Maps and Apple Music to its ‘infotainment’ system. The aim of next-gen CarPlay was to kick things up a gear, bringing even more of your car’s controls under Apple’s wing, while giving you extensive customisation options – like being able to override your car’s electronic dashboard and replace it with one styled in Cupertino.

To enable you to use CarPlay 2.0, Apple of course had to get the world’s carmakers on board and their initial reaction was enthusiastic – manufacturers from Audi to Volvo all signed up, but so far only two have actually announced concrete plans, with Aston Martin and Porsche confirming theirs in December last year, although CarPlay 2.0’s still to make its way into their actual cars. Apple says announcements from other car makers will be coming this year, but why has the rollout been so slow?