Apple Highlights Two Smaller CarPlay Changes on iOS 18.4 and iOS 26

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CarPlay is gaining a lot of new features with iOS 26, including a Liquid Glass design, Live Activities, widgets, the ability to use Tapbacks and view pinned conversations in the Messages app, and more. But that's not all, as Apple has outlined another change coming to CarPlay with iOS 26 in a WWDC 2025 video for developers.

CarPlay Compact Phone Calls
Specifically, Apple said that iOS 26 will allow CarPlay users to interact with mapping apps using multi-touch gestures in supported vehicles. This will allow users to zoom and pan on the map with their fingers, just like they can on an iPhone.

"Many new vehicles support multitouch interactions, including any vehicle that supports CarPlay Ultra," said Olivia Hess, a CarPlay software engineer at Apple, in the video session. "Starting in iOS 26, if a vehicle supports multitouch interactions in CarPlay, drivers can interact with your navigation app using multitouch gestures."

In the video, Apple highlighted another small but useful improvement to CarPlay that is available with iOS 18.4 and later: a sports mode for audio apps.

CarPlay Now Playing Sports Mode
CarPlay apps that stream audio for live sports events can now show a scoreboard for the game on the CarPlay screen, right alongside controls for the audio feed. The revamped Now Playing view can show team logos, scores, the game clock, and more.

iOS 18.4 was released in late March, while iOS 26 is currently available in developer beta and will be released to all users later this year.

Earlier today, we reported that CarPlay will also be gaining the ability to play videos from an iPhone via AirPlay in supported vehicles.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Related Forums: HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology, Apple, Inc and Tech Industry

Top Rated Comments

mikebenton Avatar
mikebenton
9 months ago
Apple Maps in CarPlay is the worst. If you zoom out, Maps will just automatically zoom in right away. If you are about to make a turn, Maps is so zoomed in that you can't see where you should be going after that turn. This happens to me daily - I approach a 2-lane left turn and I'm not sure if I should be in the left or right turn lane because of another turn that may be within a block or two of my current turn. I question whether the folks who design these products actually use them on a daily basis. Just one example of many....
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
breenmask Avatar
breenmask
9 months ago
why does maps look like an Atari game?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MozMan68 Avatar
MozMan68
9 months ago

why does maps look like an Atari game?
Apple made, in my opinion, the incredibly smart decision to make Maps features digital versus the constantly out of date and "road blocking" satellite view used by Google.

Apple's ever expanding 3D world includes trees/bushes, elevation, buildings, road markings, etc.

This type of Map is much more accurate and easier to update as well as provide helpful navigation features like adjusting the view to a viewer perspective and true lane guidance during complicated interchanges.

Currently only available in DCE (Detailed City Experience) areas, I'm guessing it will be introduced country wide in any full LookAround countries, but starting with updated USA and UK maps first for a larger impact.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
citysnaps
9 months ago
Apple CarPlay works great on our cars. Looking forward to the new features.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Logic368 Avatar
Logic368
9 months ago

Apple Maps in CarPlay is the worst. If you zoom out, Maps will just automatically zoom in right away. If you are about to make a turn, Maps is so zoomed in that you can't see where you should be going after that turn. This happens to me daily - I approach a 2-lane left turn and I'm not sure if I should be in the left or right turn lane because of another turn that may be within a block or two of my current turn. I question whether the folks who design these products actually use them on a daily basis. Just one example of many....
Totally agree... has probably caused tons of accidents this way already. Absolutely idiotic that not only does it zoom in when approaching turns, it literally changes perspective... how does one have have any depth perception on the map with this BS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
turbineseaplane
9 months ago

I never understood why those knob systems even exist
Theoretically they'd be safer and quicker, if they were paired up with an OS designed to work with them.

All of this was supposed to get drivers away from "playing around with a distracting touch screen".

Instead we've essentially turned all these cars into HUGE IPADS
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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