Apple CarPlay could control more parts of your vehicle in the future

Ever since it was introduced in 2015, Apple CarPlay has represented a notable upgrade on the user interface that most cars have by default, but many of our concerns about it, and Android Auto, are their limited by boundaries. reason revealed. New features like dual-screen support and third-party apps like Google Maps can help, but very large parts of the driving experience still lie outside Apple's control panel. Now, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg that Apple's "Ironheart" envisions adding settings like climate control, seat positioning, and even distinctive surround sound to your iPhone.

It's a gap that Google has closed by cutting deals with automakers like Polestar, Ford, Honda and GM to use Android Automotive as the basis for its UI. According to Bloomberg, while Apple's plans will require the involvement of the carmaker, it doesn't plan to provide the basis for infotainment systems like Android Automotive.

Instead, Bloomberg suggests it could be similar to Apple's smart home push with HomeKit, with an API that devices (in this case, cars) use with varying levels of support for controls and sensor communications. Huh. Huh. One interesting wrinkle is the mention that with iOS 15, Apple removed a number of API features from SiriKit, making the sometimes frustrating assistant less capable than ever. This includes controls that can manage these precise settings, such as seat position, climate control, or audio sources on compatible vehicles.

If the plans turn into an actual upgrade, it could mean that different cars have different levels of feature support, with some using CarPlay to customize seat position, while others use it. do not support. You can configure the vehicle's A/C settings based on your iPhone preferences, however. As the report notes, so far, there has been limited support for things like the manufacturer-provided CarPlay app that can access these deeper control settings, and only BMW supports Apple CarKey so far.

So what does this mean for Apple's not-so-secret Project Titan car program? Bloomberg reports that the CarPlay expansion won't collect car or user data, so whatever project Kevin Lynch is taking on, it will need to get useful insights the other way round.