- iOS 26.4 beta opens CarPlay to third-party AI robots
- Applications like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini could soon appear
- These apps will still need to be updated to work on CarPlay
Just a few days after the update was rumored, it’s here: the new iOS 26.4 public beta enables third-party voice-controlled AI chatbots in CarPlay, so you can chat with the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude from inside your vehicle.
As spotted by MacRumors, Apple’s official CarPlay Developer Guide has been updated to reflect the change. A new voice control display is being rolled out that allows these conversational chatbots to provide visual feedback.
This doesn’t mean you can start talking to ChatGPT right away, even if you’ve installed the beta software: apps like ChatGPT will need to be updated to take advantage of the new feature, and that could take some time.
What’s more, these apps won’t displace Siri as the default voice assistant. They won’t let you control any of your car or iPhone’s functions with your voice, and you won’t be able to assign them a “wake word”—you’ll have to start them with a tap.
Friends of AI
Apple hasn’t said exactly why it’s enabling this functionality now, but we know it’s worked well with third-party AI chatbots for some time. ChatGPT is currently integrated into Siri, and Google Gemini models will power Siri later this year.
In fact, the new and improved Gemini-powered Siri was also supposed to appear with iOS 26.4, although there’s no sign of that yet. The latest news from those in the know is that it will appear with iOS 27, which is scheduled for release in September.
iOS 26.4 should be available to everyone in a few weeks – by then, Google, OpenAI, Claude and others may have enabled CarPlay access. We’re also getting plenty of other updates with iOS 26.4, including improvements to Apple Music and Camera.
Of course, opening up CarPlay in this way also doesn’t hurt Apple in terms of avoiding further regulatory scrutiny, especially from the EU. It means there will be alternative AI available in CarPlay just as they are on your iPhone’s home screen.
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