CarPlay

Given a choice between having to connect a wire to your smartphone to enjoy Apple CarPlay or being able to send content from your smartphone to a vehicle infotainment system without wires, pretty much everyone would choose wireless. Infiniti has announced an upgrade that vehicle owners who want to ditch the wires will really appreciate. Infiniti is offering a free upgrade for most 2020 and newer vehicles it produces that adds wireless CarPlay to the vehicle.

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Apple CarPlay may be commonplace in most new vehicles now, but Apple is reportedly planning deeper integration for the iPhone projection system that could better compete with Google's push to dominate the dashboard. CarPlay currently connects via Lightning cable or WiFi and presents a specially-formatted interface for key apps like media and navigation on the vehicle's own touchscreen, though for several years Apple has been exploring ways to tie the system further into the car.

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For many people, features of new cars they find they might not be able to live without are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Both of those features are similar and allow users to see certain supported applications on the larger infotainment screen in their vehicle. Electrify America is a large nationwide chain of electric vehicle charging stations.

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For a long time, the most complicated part of the car dashboard was figuring out where to hang your furry dice. These days, though, bigger screens - and more of them - are just the surface glitter on a new age of vehicle tech. The potential for confusion is accelerating, not least as new names wade into car software.

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Apple CarPlay's multiscreen dashboard is one of the biggest recent improvements to the iPhone's in-car interface, bringing third-party navigation apps to the home screen, but only if those apps actively support it. Now, one of the most conspicuous absences, Waze, looks to finally be getting onboard.

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iOS 14 is updating the Apple Maps and CarPlay experience, with Apple bringing the ability to use your iPhone as your car key, as well as to get new routing specific for EVs and cyclists. Announced at WWDC 2020 today, the new iOS 14 comes as Apple revamps its iPhone software to make it quicker and easier to navigate.

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Google Podcasts, the company's audio show app that has steadily evolved from a barebones offering to something more sophisticated, has finally added support for Apple's CarPlay automotive platform. With this support, iPhone owners can use the Google Podcasts app to stream their favorite shows in their vehicle using CarPlay, making it a bit more useful for those who often listen to content while driving.

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The fast-approaching Polestar 2 EV may be the first production car to use Android Automotive OS, but that means iPhone owners will be left out in the cold at first if they want full access to Apple's in-car system. Priced up for its US release last week, the Polestar 2 takes on Tesla's Model 3 in the midrange all-electric category - and, at least initially, will come with one of the same problems.

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Porsche is giving its classic car owners an Apple CarPlay upgrade, with a new set of replacement radios bringing 21st century tech to vintage rides. The two Porsche Classic Communication Management (PCCM) head-units are designed to slot into the space where an old FM radio or CD player (or even a tape deck) might have been installed at the factory.

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A new simulator research study conducted by IAM RoadSmart has found that interacting with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can impair driving performance to potentially dangerous levels. The study results show that the latest in-vehicle infotainment systems impaired driver reaction times behind the wheel more than alcohol and cannabis use. According to the researchers, reaction times at motorway speeds increased average stopping distances between four and five car lengths.

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New cad models these days are almost expected to have one form of integration with mobile ecosystems or another. That means either letting users hook up to a manufacturer's proprietary system or directly integrating Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Just because it's expected doesn't mean it has to come for free, which is the rather unpopular position BMW made a few months back. Now it's making a U-turn and will not charge owners of 2019 and 2020 models $80 a year just to use CarPlay in their cars.

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Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both getting a big update this year, but if your current car lacks support for either then it's Sony's new supersized touchscreen head-unit that might be more appealing. The new Sony XAV-AX8000 Media Receiver is designed to slot into a single-DIN space on your dashboard, but unfurl, Transformers-style, into something a lot more impressive.

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