Apple CarPlay should copy Android Auto’s push for more car control, right now

Summary

Android Auto is poised to get in-depth controls for things like radio and air conditioning, leaving CarPlay in the dust unless Apple acts faster.
Those features are due to come to the next-generation version of CarPlay, but that could still be a long time out.
Putting more car controls in the basic version of CarPlay would serve as a useful stopgap, and show Apple cares about people who can’t afford state-of-the-art EVs.

Drivers with Android phones are beginning to see Android Auto 14 roll out, but the real story is what Google has been experimenting with behind the scenes. In a recent APK teardown by Android Authority, we learned that Google is working on climate control support — meaning that in a future version of the software, users should be able to adjust things like air conditioning, window defrosting, and even heating their seats from the same place they’d normally control Spotify and Google Maps. The company is separately said to be working on a Car Media app, saving you the trouble of having to switch to your car’s native UI just to tune in FM radio.

Conversely, there’s no sign of this coming to Apple CarPlay anytime soon. The technology is still mostly about projecting iPhone apps onto your dash display, although you can at least get battery info from EVs like the Mustang Mach-E. Apple has promised a revolutionary whole-car update sometime down the road, but I think it’s time the company swallowed its pride and started introducing some of those car control features to the vanilla version of CarPlay.

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The ghost of next-gen CarPlay

The revolution will be postponed

Apple

If nothing else, Apple may be forced to admit that it was a little too ambitious when it announced next-generation CarPlay in 2022. Whenever it gets here, the idea is that CarPlay will be able to take over every screen in compatible vehicles, including not just infotainment and car control displays, but gauges and meters. Imagine something like the cockpit of a Rivian R1T, only linked exclusively to your iPhone.

Introducing limited car control features in the next few months would both display some goodwill and keep CarPlay up to par with Android Auto.

It’s an appealing idea if you already like CarPlay, but Apple quickly ran into a predictable problem: every vehicle is unique. Different models have different screens, different branding, and different control features, making it troublesome to build a one-size-fits-all interface. Indeed, Apple has reportedly had to work with individual automakers to tailor its software, slowing down next-gen CarPlay development. The company missed its original 2024 launch window completely. Today, you’ll no longer find any promised timeline on the official CarPlay webpage.

There’s no sign that the next-gen platform will launch anytime soon, but introducing limited car control features in the next several months would both display some goodwill and keep CarPlay up to par with Android Auto. Apple’s certainly in need of showing goodwill — Apple Intelligence is also running into delays, meaning you won’t see promised features like contextual awareness until later in 2025, if not 2026. The company needs to prove it can deliver software updates on time, at least ones that aren’t cosmetic or a slight improvement.

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The people left behind

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Vevavi-carplay-wireless-adapter-2024-review-10

Then there’s the matter of how many people will actually benefit from next-gen CarPlay. While automakers sometimes like to pretend that everyone is buying an EV with an interior out of Minority Report, the reality is that most of us are still driving gas-powered vehicles in which we’re lucky to have a single 7- or 8-inch screen with wireless CarPlay, if there’s CarPlay at all.

Adding more car controls to the basic version of CarPlay may be necessary for most of us to enjoy them.

I’ve touched on this in other editorials, but I feel it’s about time Apple tossed the average person another bone. The company famously prefers to target the “premium” market, meaning middle- or upper-class shoppers with plenty of disposable income. It’s even dropping budget phones from its lineup — the cheapest new iPhone is the $599 iPhone 16e, a full $170 more than its predecessor, the iPhone SE. You can buy a Mac mini at that cost.

Adding more car controls to the basic version of CarPlay may be necessary for most of us to enjoy them. And for Apple, that would ultimately be in its own best interests. You can hardly attract (or maybe even keep) new generations of fans if all the best features are out of reach, and they’ll be especially distant if the entry price is $30,000 or higher for a new car with wraparound displays. Heck, even many used cars with advanced displays are over that mark. For college students buried in debt, next-gen CarPlay might as well be a Spielberg production.

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What are the chances of car controls filtering down sooner?

Hurdles are still in the way

Apple

We could be on the verge of finding out, since Apple recently announced a June 9 start for its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference. The company traditionally uses WWDC to preview the next major updates of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, among other platforms — so if CarPlay’s going to get any kind of significant upgrade in 2025, we’re probably less than three months away from the details, including screenshots.

Adding things like AC and tuner controls to CarPlay will still involve opening up data access on per-vehicle basis.

It’s entirely possible we won’t hear anything special, though. There haven’t been any dramatic rumors (yet), and for a while now, Apple has been making relatively minor tweaks to CarPlay. Perhaps the last important upgrade was in 2022, when it added new app categories along with multi-stop routing in Apple Maps. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple focus on cosmetic enhancements linked to iOS 19’s redesign, with some further teases about brand partnerships and its next-gen plans. Apple certainly loves proving how many automakers are on its side.

Nothing’s set in stone, thankfully, and Apple’s not so inflexible that it can’t add features in point releases. Consider the anti-stalking features it collaborated on with Google for iOS 17.5, in the wake of reports that Bluetooth trackers were being abused.

The real challenge is going to be working with automakers. While cutting extra screens out of the mix might automatically save a lot of effort, adding things like AC and tuner controls to CarPlay will still involve opening up data access on per-vehicle basis. Automakers are notoriously hesitant about sharing that data, especially if it means ceding more influence over their cars to a third party. Some of these companies are already unhappy with how dominant CarPlay is — never mind rendering some of their most basic design choices redundant. I imagine a lot of new drivers don’t even see a car’s native software for longer than it takes to finish iPhone pairing.