iOS 13.4 enables third-party maps in CarPlay

Apple's iOS 13.4 release has brought with it new support for third-party map apps on its dashboard.

As reported by The Verge:

CarPlay, Apple's in-car interface, just got better thanks to an update that lets you use third-party map apps on its dashboard.

The CarPlay dashboard displays information from multiple apps at once, like music and maps, which can help you get to your destination, but you could only use Apple Maps until now. Third-party map apps had to use a full-screen view instead of appearing as a split-screen on the dashboard. With iOS 13.4, third-party apps can finally be made to work on the dashboard, too

Developers of map apps will still need to enable CarPlay support on their end, which is why neither Google Maps nor Waze will work just now. Google told The Verge it was committed to "exploring ways to make the in-vehicle experience more seamless." Apple's own Maps service is, of course, front-and-center of the CarPlay experience, and Apple has previously admitted that it has poured billions of dollars into its Maps software.

At the end of last year, Apple completed the rollout of its extensive overhaul of Maps in the United States, a project that took the whole of 2019. Apple's new Maps infrastructure not only improves mapping but is designed to allow Apple to address maintenance and corrections to routes much more quickly than the previous version.

Despite its efforts, third-party alternatives remain a popular choice for navigation, and developers will no doubt be buoyed by the news that they can now work towards support for Apple's CarPlay feature.