Apple released iOS 27 to everyone a few weeks ago, and it includes several CarPlay changes worth checking out. Here are a few changes that stand out so far.
The flagship feature is Siri AI, which extends to CarPlay. It can answer questions about your personal context and world knowledge. For example, you can ask Siri to find a specific address or location in your email or text messages and begin routing to it, all by voice. Robust, hands-free control is important in the car, and iOS 27 finally gives Siri the power it deserves in CarPlay.
CarPlay in iOS 27 also offers a persistent "Now Playing" Mini Player throughout audio apps. It appears in the upper-right corner of the interface and shows playback controls and album artwork. The Now Playing interface has also been updated with an audio scrubber at long last, letting you skip to different parts of a song or podcast without using steering wheel controls or reaching for your iPhone. Apple has additionally added a collection of new wallpapers, similar to the stock iOS 27 wallpapers on iPhone, though you still cannot use your own photos.
iOS 27 also focuses on platform improvements to performance and reliability, and that applies to CarPlay. Apple says the update addresses navigation heading and GPS accuracy along with wireless CarPlay reliability. Finally, developers can now build dedicated video apps for CarPlay. That feature requires support from automakers, so it may be a while before video apps are usable in your vehicle. While the dream for many is still CarPlay Ultra, these meaningful improvements to today's CarPlay are a welcome step.
Source: 9to5Mac · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing