Apple to make changes to CarPlay to improve functionality

Apple is set to make changes to CarPlay that will make the tool more useful.

iPhone users can currently use CarPlay to control things like music and navigation tools through their car, but Apple are reportedly working on changes to the function that will expand the ways CarPlay can be used.

The project, dubbed ‘IronHeart’, will hopefully allow users to control things like A/C, climate control, speaker settings, seats and armrests, and the speedometer.

However, the expansion would require a buy-in from car manufacturers, as cars would need to be made with the ability to have functions controlled by CarPlay.

And while most major carmakers have embraced CarPlay since it launched in 2014, granting more access to a car’s key systems may be more than automakers are comfortable with.

Car manufacturers are already pushing back against Apple’s ideas, as the company tried to launch Car Key – a feature which allows you to unlock a compatible car with your phone or Apple Watch – with iOS 14, but the only cars currently compatible with the function are 2021 BMWs.

Apple’s decision to improve CarPlay functionality comes as talks have slowed between the tech company and Hyundai, who were said to be planning the so-called Apple Car.

Talks fell apart earlier this year, and it was reported Hyundai wasn’t interested in doing the “dirty work” for Apple while the tech firm reaped the major rewards.

© BANG Media International