Improved CarPlay support for WhatsApp
The Meta subsidiary has tinkered with its messaging client. It is now easier to use in the car with CarPlay.
Using WhatsApp, here on a mobile phone.
(Image: Tatiana Diuvbanova / Shutterstock.com)
Users of the iPhone vehicle integration CarPlay are recently being served various app improvements. After the introduction of dedicated car apps for Google Meet and OpenAI ChatGPT, WhatsApp has now also tinkered with its CarPlay support. After a longer beta phase, a new native interface for the messenger is now available to all users. It should appear automatically as soon as version 26.13.74, released two days ago, is running on the iPhone.
No longer just by-the-book service
Previously, WhatsApp had made it relatively easy for itself and only implemented the typical Apple CarPlay UI components, including a focus on Siri usage. Notifications arrived and could be read aloud and replied to by voice, but even the chat overview was missing. In the car, WhatsApp users should be distracted as little as possible, which Apple apparently approved of. With the new version, you now immediately see a chat list with the most recent conversations, spanning two to three weeks. However, you cannot go directly into a chat, precisely so that the user is not distracted. Through the chat list, however, you can see more quickly who you have previously communicated with. It also shows whether a chat is pinned or muted.
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From the chat list, you can also send a message to contacts. Alternatively, there is also a “New Message” option with which you can message any user in the address book. In addition to chats via Siri, voice calls via WhatsApp are also possible. The look corresponds to Apple's Liquid Glass design, and WhatsApp can be operated in the car in light or dark mode.
Call history and favorites
There is also a new call history with outgoing and incoming calls, missed calls, and the respective contact information. With Siri, you can then initiate a new voice chat. Finally, there is a new favorites function to find contacts you communicate with frequently more quickly.
Apple itself advertised the new CarPlay app from WhatsApp with an editorial App Store post. The service from the Meta subsidiary remains free of charge.
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