- CarPlay 2.0 missed its 2024 deadline
- Small updates were detected in November.
- A full launch could still happen in 2025
You may remember that Apple teased a next-generation CarPlay experience in December 2023, with Porsche and Aston Martin apparently signed on to help, and then promised us the software would roll out in the US sometime in 2024.
Well, we’re already in 2025 (happy new year, by the way) and CarPlay 2.0 hasn’t arrived yet. As MacRumors notes, at the time of writing, Apple’s official website still says that the first models equipped with the next generation of CarPlay “will arrive in 2024.”
That raises the question of whether Apple is still working on this improved version of its in-car software, or if it has abandoned the idea of a more integrated experience, in the same way it apparently abandoned plans for an Apple Car.
Apple hasn’t talked about a CarPlay update in quite some time, although some updated icons appeared in the code for iOS 18.2, which was released in November. It looks like the project could be delayed, rather than killed completely.
What is CarPlay 2.0?
Apple went into quite a bit of detail about this new and improved CarPlay at its WWDC event in June 2024. We heard about brands that would be modified for each automaker and new apps that offer deeper hooks into different parts of the vehicle.
That’s basically what Apple CarPlay 2.0 is all about: deeper integration into features like climate control, on-board cameras, and EV charging status, which the current version of CarPlay can’t access.
All of this will require help from automakers, which may be the reason for the delay. Getting these companies to commit to Apple’s automotive software instead of their own is perhaps one of the biggest hurdles in the way.
We were a little worried about the delay in December, but let’s hope it’s just a delay and not a complete cancellation. Another WWDC show will no doubt be scheduled for June, and we may have heard more by then.
