Apple releases new details about its infotainment system CarPlay

Screenshot/Apple.com

By Kelly O'Brien

June 8, 2015

1 minute to read

Soon you won’t even have to take your iPhone out of your pocket to sync it with your car, and it will even let you control the air conditioning.

That’s the big update on CarPlay, Apple’s attempt to take over your car’s infotainment system, that came out of the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference today.

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Apple has tweaked CarPlay to allow carmakers to create their own apps. If the carmakers play along, you’ll be able to control things in your own vehicle without leaving the CarPlay interface.

Currently, CarPlay allows you to interact with phone-based apps, like maps, audiobooks, music and contact lists, on your vehicle’s infotainment screen.

Apple also announced today that drivers will no longer have to physically plug their phone into the vehicle to access CarPlay. It will all be wireless.

At the moment, CarPlay is only available on aftermarket infotainment systems and in a $300,000 Ferrari, according to MacRumors. But a long list of carmakers are lined up to offer CarPlay compatible systems in 2016.

Apple isn’t the only tech company looking to improve the notoriously bad driver experience of current infotainment systems. Last month, Hyundai became the first automaker to support Google’s Android Auto.

Later in the program, Apple debuted a few nifty integrations between the Apple Watch and an app created by Volkswagen. The driver would be able to lock the car, control the temperature, defroster and headlights, and even track an electric vehicles charge without even glancing at their phone. Capabilities like that will be available in the fall when Watch OS 2 is released.