It’s 2025, but Apple’s website still states the major next-gen CarPlay update we’re all waiting for will arrive in 2024. While Apple clarified that robot vacuum support in the Home app has been delayed to “early next year,” which is now this year, it hasn’t done the same with its future CarPlay technology.
Interestingly, after the company previewed this big CarPlay update a couple of years ago, it announced at the end of 2023 that the first carmakers were already working on supporting this new experience. In addition, Apple is known for clarifying delays. Over the past years, the company revealed its plans for delayed products or features in the final days of those years. However, that’s not the case for the next-gen CarPlay introduction.
Last November, MacRumors discovered that the iOS 18.2 beta had redesigned CarPlay icons while also discovering images filed in the EU by Audi highlighting how the next-gen CarPlay will look in their cars.
Still, Apple released iOS 18.2, and we didn’t get anything new about this CarPlay experience. By the end of 2023, Aston Martin and Porsche revealed their plans to use the next-gen CarPlay design in their cars. However, the automakers haven’t released any new vehicles supporting this feature.
Besides that, Apple released a few new features to the old CarPlay experience in iOS 18, such as:
- Announced Notifications support: Announce Notifications can read aloud your notification summaries when using AirPods or CarPlay.
- Spatial Audio: Drivers can now listen to Spatial Audio songs and albums available in Apple Music and third-party apps while connected to CarPlay. Vehicles with multichannel audio capabilities can enable an immersive sound experience. Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos can also be implemented in compatible vehicles.
- Accessibility: Color Filters, Bold Text, Voice Control, and Sound Recognition accessibility settings are now available in CarPlay in IOS 18, providing a consistent experience between the iPhone and the vehicle.
BGR will let you know once Apple updates its website, giving a new timeframe for the next-gen CarPlay.
