Apple's decision to let HomeView run CarPlay apps is a strange compromise, and it leaves developers in a tough spot. Doubts remain about how useful the approach will be.
You are unlikely to need the dozens of parking apps that crowd the App Store on your HomeView. Presumably you will never need to access your car's app either, though some interesting use cases may emerge depending on the situation. Beyond that, the possibilities are wider. It is tempting to say a whole world of CarPlay apps can suddenly run on HomeView.
CarPlay is difficult to pull off. Developers currently have to email Apple for the entitlement and demonstrate that there is no safety risk for drivers, so broad developer support is still lacking. HomeView has none of those concerns tied to moving vehicles, which makes Apple's route seem odd and likely to limit the device in its early days. Through CarPlay apps, users could listen to audiobooks on Audible instead of only Apple Books, or consult Google Maps instead of Apple Maps. Carrot Weather would deliver the temperature with sarcasm, and WhatsApp's CarPlay edition could prove useful outside the US. Radio options include the BBC's BBC Sounds, TuneIn Radio, and Broadcasts, while Instapaper can read long-form articles aloud. ChatGPT and Claude may also be available if installed on the iPhone.
There is a catch. Apple has told developers that CarPlay audio and video apps work on HomeView without modification, but it has not yet explained how users will access them. It is reasonable to assume the process will mirror CarPlay: apps are downloaded from the App Store, an iPhone Settings section controls which apps are enabled, and apps can be rearranged there. With CarPlay, that rearranging is restricted while driving for safety. On HomeView, that limitation is inherited even though no driving is involved.
Source: AppleInsider · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing