Apple Announces Next-Gen CarPlay, Likely To Revolutionize Car Software

Apple at WWDC 2022 announced the "next generation" of CarPlay. The new CarPlay experience will support even more screens, including the gauge cluster, and offer up even more information.Apple showed off a new interface that can more completely integrate CarPlay with vehicle systems and screens, including both the dashboard and driver displays. It likely previews a version of something we expect to show up on Apple's own vehicle platform, in whatever form that eventually takes, which has long been rumored to be in development.

CarPlay users will be able to swap what they see on the instrument panel with a very Apple-looking widget design. Users can add trip info, control the climate in the car, see the weather, view updated navigation information, fuel, and battery levels, and more. It can adapt to different screen sizes and has an all-new interface that is reminiscent of having an iPad on the center screen.

Apple added that CarPlay users will be able to personalize their driving experience by choosing different gauge cluster designs, and widgets will provide at-a-glance information from the Weather and Music apps right on a vehicle's dashboard.Apple said the first vehicles to support the new CarPlay experience will be announced in late 2023, with committed automakers including Ford, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche, and more. Apple said it will share more information about the new CarPlay experience in the future.