This week’s Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) has revealed all types of recent goodies coming to the iPhone in iOS 26 that go nicely past what Apple confirmed us throughout Monday’s keynote. Along with a group of 36 smaller options that Apple solely revealed on a single slide on the shut of its iOS 26 presentation, the primary iOS 26 beta, Apple’s WWDC classes, and its developer web site have revealed much more enjoyable new issues coming on this yr’s huge iPhone software program replace.
For example, shortly after firing up the iOS 26 beta on my iPhone on Monday night, I opened Apple Information to be greeted by a brand new Emoji Recreation. Twiddling with CarPlay in iOS 26 additionally revealed a brand new Good Show Zoom mode that makes significantly better use of the nine-inch show in my Nissan Rogue.
Alongside comparable strains, a Redditor found a possible new CarPlay characteristic this morning from Apple’s developer web site, excitedly asserting the “Video in CarPlay [is] Now Formally Supported.” That actually acquired our hopes up — and people of many other people, too, however on nearer examination, it’s most likely not the form of video assist we’ve all been dreaming of.
Video in CarPlay
As I wrote about 4 years in the past, Apple could be very strict in regards to the apps that may seem in your CarPlay display screen. For an app to seem in your dashboard, it has to suit into a particular class and observe different guidelines about the way it presents its info. It additionally wants a particular “entitlement” from the App Retailer to unlock CarPlay entry, which Apple solely grants if it meets the standards.
Apple permits classes for Audio, Communication, EV charging, Fueling, Navigation, Parking, Fast Meals Ordering, and some different apps associated to “driving duties,” equivalent to toll assist and towing assist. The apps should additionally “present significant performance related to driving” and current an interface that gained’t distract the driving force.
You’ll discover that video apps are nowhere on this checklist. That’s partly as a result of Apple doesn’t need to be blamed for automotive accidents brought on by drivers who had been paying extra consideration to the newest episode of Severance than the highway.
In fact, Apple may simply make these work solely when the automotive is stopped. Android Auto permits video apps, and that’s exactly the way it works — they’ll solely play whereas the car is stationary. Apple’s CarPlay already detects this and disallows distracting capabilities just like the keyboard whereas the automotive is in movement. It wouldn’t be a stretch for Apple to take a web page from Google’s books and permit video apps beneath comparable situations.
Sadly, I’ve dug deeply into iOS 26 and located zero proof of any assist for this, so it’s not merely display screen mirroring as some have been hoping. There’s already a minimum of one third-party app, TDS CarPlay, that may do that. It lived on the App Retailer briefly earlier than Apple turfed it, very similar to it did with a CarPlay internet browser app earlier this yr, but it surely’s nonetheless in TestFlight beta. Anybody with an Apple Developer certificates may also obtain and side-load the IPA.
In fact, that is beta 1, so there’s all the time hope it may come later, however nothing on Apple’s web site or in its developer documentation suggests that may occur — a minimum of not this yr.
In fact, if Apple had been going to permit apps to play video by means of CarPlay, it will be extra doubtless so as to add them as a brand new class, requiring them to have an appropriately optimized interface. They’d then seem on the CarPlay display screen like Google Maps and Spotify do. We wouldn’t see this within the iOS 26 betas, as it will be a developer SDK. Nonetheless, Apple has stated nothing about this throughout its WWDC classes or on its developer web site, and no associated APIs for CarPlay video apps have been introduced. That makes native CarPlay Video apps most unlikely.
So What Is This Then?
The reference that’s getting everybody excited is discovered on Apple’s CarPlay Developer Web page, the place Apple lists a brand new Video within the Automobile characteristic beneath “Further capabilities.” Nonetheless, it doesn’t learn like a software program characteristic, and the point out of AirPlay leads us to imagine it’s one thing fairly completely different from merely taking part in movies in your CarPlay display screen straight out of your iPhone.
AirPlay video within the automotive permits folks to look at their favourite movies from iPhone proper on their CarPlay show once they aren’t driving. Combine assist for CarPlay with AirPlay video to allow this characteristic in your automotive.
Since this can be a developer web page, the reference to “your automotive” doesn’t imply automobiles belonging to iPhone customers. The truth that it’s utilized in a sentence about integrating “assist for CarPlay with AirPlay video” lends weight to that, as does the part it seems in.
“Video within the automotive” is sandwiched in between “Automaker apps” and “Automobile keys,” each of that are {hardware} options that have to be added by carmakers, not software program builders. Automaker apps could also be software program, however they’re written to combine with particular car {hardware} sensors and different techniques.
Apple concludes with an invite for these fascinated with supporting any of those options — together with AirPlay video — to be taught extra about its MFi program. That’s a program for {hardware} accent makers to combine with the iPhone, and consists of everybody from firms growing dwelling equipment and audio system to automobiles and health tools.
AirPlay within the Automobile
Placing all this along with my intimate information of Apple and the way it operates, it’s not onerous to make an informed guess that that is extra about making car infotainment techniques work with AirPlay the identical approach your tv set does.
In different phrases, supported autos would merely current themselves as an AirPlay vacation spot, the identical approach practically each automotive available on the market gives Bluetooth for audio.
There are professionals and cons to this method. On the upside, native AirPlay assist signifies that each app in your iPhone or iPad may stream to your in-car show. Builders wouldn’t should do something particular with their apps — it will all simply work as seamlessly along with your automotive because it does along with your TV. Plus, anybody within the car may stream to your dashboard by way of AirPlay, though Apple would presumably have some settings to manage who may try this.
It’s a transfer that matches with how Apple sometimes rolls. In iOS 17, Apple made an identical transfer with what I’ve affectionally dubbed ”CarPlay Karaoke” — a mode the place anybody within the automotive can contribute to a shared playlist. Direct AirPlay assist would do one thing comparable for video.
In fact, that’s not a direct parallel. If Apple adopted the identical playbook, it will enable the driving force’s iPhone to function as an AirPlay Receiver and transmit the sign from there. Nonetheless, nothing on Apple’s Developer Web page suggests it is going to try this. It will even be extra problematic than native AirPlay assist since an iPhone linked by way of Wi-fi CarPlay would want twice the Wi-Fi bandwidth to obtain and retransmit the sign. Apart from, not like the SharePlay Music characteristic, that is about streaming single movies, not contributing to a highway journey playlist.
This brings us to some of the important downsides. Along with the truth that this gained’t routinely be accessible on older autos, it’s additionally very doubtless going to require on-board Wi-Fi.
As issues stand now, AirPlay is a community protocol that sometimes runs over Wi-Fi (therefore the usage of the phrase “Air”). Apple must re-engineer issues to drive it over a USB connection to CarPlay. That’s not unimaginable, however I’m not holding my breath. The corporate doubtless believes that Wi-fi CarPlay is the longer term (and to be truthful, after utilizing it for the previous 4 years, I do know I’m not going again to a wired connection).
The largest query is whether or not present autos may very well be retrofitted with AirPlay assist by way of a software program replace. That actually appears doable — many TV makers did the identical when practically each good TV started embracing AirPlay a number of years in the past — and any car with CarPlay assist already has the required authentication chips and different {hardware} to speak with an iPhone. AirPlay is simply one other protocol that runs on high of that, however whether or not carmakers will make an effort is one other matter.