CarPlay Ultra rolls out: Late as well as slow start for CarPlay 2

CarPlay 2 is called “CarPlay Ultra”. Apple announced the introduction of the next generation of iPhone car integration on Thursday – and gave the new name for the first time. Initially, however, the system will be reserved for certain Aston Martin vehicle models and only in the USA and Canada. New orders there for the SBX, Vantage, DB12 and Vanquish will therefore come with CarPlay Ultra, as the vehicle manufacturer announced. Existing models in which the latest version of the infotainment system is already integrated will receive the new CarPlay via a software update in the coming weeks. Internationally, CarPlay Ultra will then follow in the course of the next 12 months in the models mentioned, according to Aston Martin.

Hyundai and Kia are reportedly showing interest in CarPlay Ultra

Apple quietly let the self-imposed deadline for the market launch of the new CarPlay generation at the end of 2024 pass. Although two car brands, Aston Martin and Porsche, had already announced the integration, it was not implemented on time. It remains unclear when Porsche will introduce the first models with CarPlay Ultra. Other manufacturers are also largely keeping mum about their plans to offer the next CarPlay integration. According to Apple, Hyundai, and Kia have also recently shown interest.

In contrast to CarPlay 1, CarPlay Ultra promises much deeper integration into the vehicle and on-board systems, so that elements such as the speedometer can be displayed digitally for the first time. Vehicle manufacturers can also integrate their views into CarPlay Ultra – and have a say in the design. The implementation is considered to be correspondingly complex and lengthy, especially as Apple, unlike Google, does not offer a complete operating system for the car. If the iPhone is not on board, the infotainment system must therefore fall back on its own operating system.

CarPlay Ultra supported from iOS 18.5 onwards

CarPlay Ultra continues to run mainly on the iPhone, but some elements are rendered locally in the vehicle to display real-time information. The system must be designed to display the speed on the speedometer, for example, even if the wireless connection to the iPhone is lost. CarPlay Ultra works purely wirelessly. The minimum system requirements are an iPhone 12 and iOS 18.5, as Apple notes.

(lbe)