Next-gen Apple CarPlay wants to go beyond music and maps

You can now control vehicle functions via CarPlay

Smartphone integration is now a must-have feature for almost every new car buyer these days. At times, it can even make or break the sale as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto offer seamless connectivity to navigational apps as well as for in-car entertainment such as music streaming services.

But now, Apple has shown it wants to go beyond just linking your smartphone to your vehicle screen. The company revealed the next generation CarPlay which offers automotive brands to further integrate vehicle functionality to the software.

Within the CarPlay feature, Apple wants to offer greater vehicle control. By that, we mean things like climate control, tire pressure monitoring, and even drive mode features can become accessible through the CarPlay ecosystem.

For the era of electrification, Apple is also looking at displaying charge status and the state of charge of electric and hybrid vehicles. The integration of vehicle information into the CarPlay system results in a less cluttered layout of information appearing seamlessly on the screens that dominate the interior of modern vehicles.

However, the amount of vehicle information will still depend on what the carmaker is willing to provide. That means experience will vary depending on the car brand.

There's no exact timeline yet as to when the next-gen Apple CarPlay will be rolled out. However, we're hoping it becomes available the soonest.