CarPlay

Your iPhone has known for years that it’s about to rain. Your car’s dashboard, running Apple’s own CarPlay software, has had no idea — because Apple Weather never made the jump to CarPlay. But starting today, you won’t have to wait on Apple to fix that.

The Weather Channel’s Storm Radar app version 4.0.19 just rolled out. The centerpiece is a dedicated CarPlay experience that finally puts live weather where you’re already looking while driving. If your commute was ever ambushed by a storm your map app couldn’t see coming, this is the update you’ve wanted.

With iOS 27, Apple is giving CarPlay one of the biggest quality-of-life upgrades in years. The showcase feature is the ability to browse and watch videos, right on your car’s display, without touching your iPhone. But that’s just the start.

Plug in the Mini Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter once, then pair it with your phone, and every time you start the car, you’ll enjoy a wireless infotainment experience.

That means no more plugging in your phone — a wireless CarPlay connection happens every time you start the car. And right now, the Mini Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter is on sale for just $34.99 (MSRP $59.99).

April 22, 2013: The world gets its first Apple car. Well, kind of. In reality, the iBeetle is a collaboration with German automaker Volkswagen that offers a car “stylistically linked” to Apple.

This means Apple-inspired colors, a built-in docking station for your iPhone, and a special app that lets you control the car’s features.

Apple’s CarPlay voice commands offer a safe way to handle dozens of tasks without lifting a finger or shifting your gaze away from the road. CarPlay’s Siri integration is one of the most underused safety tools in modern cars. However, it only works if you know what to say. 

Get to know the best CarPlay voice commands for every driver with Cult of Mac’s handy roundup. Commit them to memory now so you’ll know how to employ them once you hit the road.

Oddly enough, Apple CarPlay could make its way to the water in the coming years. Sea-Doo confirms it’s look at the technology for future high-end personal watercraft models akin to Jet Skis, according to a new report.

Pioneer Electronics’ new Sphera device is the first aftermarket in-dash receiver that supports Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio playback through Apple CarPlay, the company said Monday at CES 2026. The device makes immersive audio technology accessible to drivers whose vehicles lack factory-installed Atmos systems.

“For over 80 years, Pioneer has achieved many technological ‘firsts’ — from the world’s first car CD player to the first aftermarket CarPlay integration,” said Chris Ono, the company’s CEO and chairman. “Sphera is the next bold chapter in that legacy. We developed a product that brings the rich, detailed sound of Dolby Atmos that moves the soul, to a solution that can be installed in many vehicles on the road today.”

Want a major car upgrade without buying a new vehicle? You can add a 7-inch dashboard display that works with Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto for just $59.97 (regularly $139.99). That’s a great deal on an after-market wireless CarPlay display with a vivid touchscreen.

Designed to put your smartphone’s features and apps front and center in any car, this wireless car display makes road trips easier, safer and more fun. It’s incredibly easy to set up and widely compatible with various automobiles.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Nobody saw this coming! The iPhone Pocket is a bizarre Apple product, and the press release announcing its precious existence is one of the most pretentious we’ve ever seen.

Still, it might be big in Asia!

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple’s new Digital ID is based on your passport and paves the way for the wallet-free (and possibly surveillance-intensive) future. We discuss the pros and cons.
• Sounds like Tesla is finally buckling and plans to give iPhone users what they want. Victory!
• Griffin shows off a cool new three-way charger that’s fantastic for travel (although he likes it at home, too).
• And finally, we discuss Pluribus, the great new Apple TV show from Breaking Bad mastermind Vince Gilligan. Two episodes in and we’re hooked!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

In a major reversal, Tesla is developing support for Apple CarPlay in its electric vehicles. That marks the end of years of resistance to one of the most requested features by potential customers, according to a new report Thursday. 

Apple’s latest iOS 26.2 beta 2 may look like a minor update on the surface, but it hides a handful of clever changes. It builds on the changes found in iOS 26.2 beta 1 to deliver an even better experience. 
Below are all the changes and tweaks iOS 26.2 beta 2 brings to your iPhone.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to pay a cool $1 billion a year to use Google Gemini to make Siri smarter. How do we feel about that? Honestly, anything that fixes Siri sooner rather than later would be a big win.

Anybody creeped out about iPhones and Macs with Google inside should rest easy, though. Apple plans to keep everything safe and secure. And Cupertino’s still scrambling to get its own AI up to speed.

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple plans to build a low-priced laptop that will bring Macs to the masses. We discuss why that has PC makers quaking in their boots.
• The iPhone Air is reportedly a bust. One big reason is that people love their iPhone cameras — and the Air skimped out on that. The next iPhone Air model might add a second lens, but really fix the problem?
• Some automakers plan to pull the plug on CarPlay. We’re already plotting our revolt!
• Griffin runs down the top five features in iOS 26.1 that you should try immediately, including one important toggle that will keep your iPhone from photographing the luxurious insides of your pocket.
• And finally, we wrap up with a new game — Apple Mad Libs!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

For millions of iPhone users, Apple’s CarPlay marries basic transportation with a satisfying technology experience for navigation, entertainment and more.

But an expert’s new report points to troubling reasons why CarPlay’s days may be numbered, thanks to a growing automotive industry profit motive. Yes, of course, it’s all about money. 

CarPlay Ultra’s adoption keeps hitting one roadblock after another. German automaker BMW has decided against integrating CarPlay Ultra into its vehicles.

Instead, BMW will focus on bringing its revamped iDrive experience to its future vehicles.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to release its cheapest MacBook ever next year. This low-cost laptop might run on an iPhone chip and help Apple convince more people to switch from Windows machines.

Could playful colors — and possibly a plastic case — make this low-end Apple laptop a hit?

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple might lean on Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT to power the long-delayed smarter Siri.
• A new timeline lays out what to expect from the next three years of Apple Vision headsets and smart glasses.
• In the how-to segment, we discuss our picks for the best Apple Watch faces. We also talk about why you might want to change things up.
• In the new listener question segment, we explain what to do when you’re low on iCloud storage.
• And in an all-new Under Review, Leander describes the benefits of three inexpensive aftermarket CarPlay screens.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video, embedded below.

In addition to a Liquid Glass design overhaul, iOS 26 will improve the CarPlay experience by bringing several iPhone features to cars’ infotainment displays.

If you’re a fan of Apple’s in-car software, check out how iOS 26 will upgrade your experience later this year.

CarPlay Ultra just hit another speed bump. Several automakers reportedly won’t use Apple’s most advanced in-dash infotainment system because it takes over too many features of the vehicle that the carmakers themselves want to control. This is especially bad news for Apple as some of these holdouts are companies that previously showed interest in implementing CarPlay Ultra.

On the other hand, there are well-known carmakers still planning on adding the system to their vehicles.

In a significant policy shift, Apple will let iPhone users stream videos directly to their CarPlay screens for the first time since the platform’s launch. With iOS 26, showcased at WWDC25, the tech giant introduced AirPlay video functionality for CarPlay. So you can stream video from apps in the car — but only when you’re parked.

With the PlayAIBox — a combination wireless CarPlay adapter and car streaming device — you can enjoy Apple’s in-car infotainment system, stream video and more without physically connecting your iPhone to your car. It works with nearly all cars, and puts CarPlay (or whatever you want to mirror from your iPhone or Android device) on your in-car display.

You could listen to your YouTube watchlist on the road, stream a quick episode of Fallout on your lunch break, or let your kids watch a movie while you watch the road. The first step is to get the PlayAIBox while it’s on sale for $74.97 (regularly $129.99).

Apple CarPlay is a popular perk of many newer cars, but you no longer need a luxury model to enjoy a modern driving experience. For a limited time, it’s cheaper than you’d imagine to add a CarPlay display to any vehicle. This affordable car touchscreen works with Android Auto, too.

How budget-friendly is it? You can currently purchase this 10-inch wireless touchscreen car display that works with both major infotainment platforms for only $99.97 (regularly $199.99). That’s 50% off a car accessory that supplies access to various helpful and safety-focused features.

Got an older car, or a newer one that lacks Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? We found a huge deal on “Amazon’s choice” of a portable screen for CarPlay and Android Auto that you can use in just about any car. The mega retailer’s deal is 37% off plus a $20 coupon, for massive combined savings of 57% off ($42.99 instead of $99.99). That ought to rev your engine.

Apple’s Vehicle Motion Cues feature will help you use your iPhone in the car by reducing feelings of motion sickness. With the feature turned on, dots along the edge of your iPhone screen will animate in sync with the motion of the plane, train or automobile you’re riding in.

According to Apple, “Motion sickness is commonly caused by a sensory conflict between what a person sees and what they feel.” Apple says these animations “reduce sensory conflict.”

It may sound weird, but the feature evidently works really well. Here’s how you can enable it.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulls the plug on a secret AR glasses project. What does this mean for Vision Pro?

Also on The CultCast:

• Erfon discusses the pros and cons of the 13-inch iPad Pro.
• Apple’s latest earnings call yields some astonishing factoids.
• Apple still plans to fix Siri — and to roll out the delayed CarPlay 2.
• We end with a laugh at one of the craziest iPhone cases we’ve ever seen.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Apple’s next-gen CarPlay was supposed to arrive in 2024. That did not happen. Despite the delay, the company confirms it is working with several automakers on CarPlay 2.

Apple showcased the next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022. More than two and a half years later, it still hasn’t showed up.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors indicate the iPhone 17 Pro camera will get a major upgrade. Shocker!

Also on The CultCast:

• Just how thin will the iPhone 17 Air be?
• Three lesser Apple products should get big upgrades in 2025.
• The next version of CarPlay might be even more awesome..
• With the Severance season two premiere imminent, the creative Apple TV+ marketing is off the hook.
• Erfon and Griffin get jazzed about the recently hyped Nintendo Switch 2.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.