Apple Takes On Android Automotive With CarPlay Ultra
TL;DR
- Apple has introduced CarPlay Ultra, an in-car system built into vehicles that offers full integration across driver displays and access to both iPhone content and vehicle controls.
- Users can manage climate controls, navigation, media playback, vehicle settings, and even check systems like tire pressure, via touchscreen input, buttons, and even Siri.
- The rollout starts with Aston Martin vehicles in the US and Canada.
Following Google’s announcement that Gemini will be coming to Android Auto and cars with Google Built-in (cars that integrate Android Automotive with Google apps on top), Apple has officially announced the next generation of CarPlay in the form of CarPlay Ultra.
CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of CarPlay, which is built directly into the car. Apple says it provides information for all of the driver’s screen, including the gauges in the instrument cluster. Automakers can customize this experience to suit their brand’s look and feel, though users can also personalize the theme’s colors and wallpapers.
With CarPlay Ultra, users can show information from their iPhone, like maps and media, just like regular CarPlay. What sets Ultra apart is that it can also access car-origin information and settings, such as advanced driver assistance systems and tire pressure.
Drivers can also use onscreen controls, physical buttons, and Siri to manage standard vehicle functions like the car’s radio and climate and vehicle-specific features and controls like audio system configurations or performance settings.
Further, CarPlay Ultra brings widgets powered by the iPhone to place in the car’s screens or gauge clusters. Note that CarPlay Ultra works with iPhone 12 and later running iOS 18.5 or later. In this way, it differs from Android Automotive and Google Built-in, as those run on the car independently of the Android phone.
CarPlay Ultra is available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the US and Canada starting today. In the coming weeks, a software update will also make it available for existing models that feature the brand’s next-generation infotainment system. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis are also committing to bringing CarPlay Ultra to their cars, though timeline and lineup details haven’t been shared yet.
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