Forget iPhone and Android, the next battle between Apple and Google will be in the car.
Announced this morning at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the next generation of CarPlay will be more deeply integrated into new cars than the current phone-based system.
Along with the central infotainment display, the next-generation CarPlay system will integrate with the driver’s display and additional screens are used to control things like the climate.
Owners will be able to customize their dials, such as how they can customize the Apple Watch watch face. Along with the typical, phone-inspired design, it looks like Apple took inspiration from older cars with analog-style watch faces.
The update will also feature a more customizable infotainment home screen than before, with iPad-style widgets taking the place of pride.
Apple says the system is designed to integrate with a variety of screen shapes and sizes, not just horizontal displays, and has confirmed Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Nissan, Ford, Audi, Honda, Volvo, Renault, Infiniti and Polestar are working to integrate the updated system into their next-generation vehicles.
The first cars with the system will launch by the end of 2023. It’s not yet clear if the system will only run on phones, as it currently is, or if it will be more deeply integrated into the vehicle.
Google’s competitor to CarPlay with deeper integration is Android Automotive. It’s already used in products from Volvo, Polestar and Stellantis, and is essentially the software base on which manufacturers can build their own infotainment systems.
It currently doesn’t support Apple CarPlay in Volvo and Polestar products, although the brand says that will change when an update becomes available.
