It's been nearly two years since Apple announced an overhauled Apple CarPlay during WWDC 2022. That upgrade has not yet materialized even though Apple's website (spotted by MacRumors) currently states that the next generation will "arrive in 2024."
The year is nearly over, and there don't appear to be any plans for CarPlay 2.0 to actually launch.
Since the initial announcement in 2022, we haven't had much news about the next generation of CarPlay. In December 2023, Aston Martin and Porsche revealed some dashboard concepts near the end of the month. At the time, it was reported that upcoming cars from both companies would feature the new CarPlay in 2024, but that has not come to fruition.
In late January, several new CarPlay features were revealed in iOS 17.4 code. That code included in-car climate control, heated seats, FM and AM radio (plus SiriusXM), charge status on electric cars, tire pressure details and if doors are still open before you start driving.
At the time, we only knew that Porsche and Aston Martin would support CarPlay 2.0, though Apple had confirmed that Acura, Ford, Honda, and others would also support the model.
During this year's WWDC, Apple announced nothing about CarPlay during its announcements or press releases. However, there was a developer panel where Apple showed off many new CarPlay design changes. It was noted during that panel that car companies could tweak the design of the display to match its aesthetics. It pointed toward a more customizable CarPlay. That panel did not reveal when the new Carplay would launch.
Here is what is currently on Apple's website regarding the next generation of CarPlay:
"This next generation of CarPlay is the ultimate iPhone experience for the car. It provides content for all the driver’s screens, including the instrument cluster. This ensures a cohesive design experience that is the very best of your car and your iPhone — with designs for each automaker that express your vehicle’s character and brand. Vehicle functions like radio and temperature controls are handled right from CarPlay. And personalization options ranging from widgets to selecting curated gauge cluster designs make it unique to the driver."
Will Apple launch CarPlay 2.0 or announce something before the end of the year? Doubtful. But we did get that surprise Porsche and Aston Martin announcement late last December. With three weeks left in the year, maybe we'll get a holiday surprise.
