iOS 18 will add new CarPlay features - here's what they are

(Image credit: Mercedes-Benz)

WWDC 2024

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Update: 6/10 1pm PT: Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote has been and gone, and while CarPlay didn't get a mention, lots of new features it announced earlier this year are on the way. Here's a look at what Apple did unveil at its keynote, plus the original story below:

Original story below:

WWDC 2024 is going to unveil iOS 18, but Apple has already revealed some impressive new CarPlay features coming to the iPhone before its AI-filled keynote.

As revealed via a press release, CarPlay will add Voice Control and additional accessibility features for motorists with compatible vehicles.

"Accessibility features coming to CarPlay include Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition," the release explains.

"With Voice Control, users can navigate CarPlay and control apps with just their voice. With Sound Recognition, drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing can turn on alerts to be notified of car horns and sirens."

You can see it in action below.

Carplay accessibility alert — (Image credit: Apple)

When is next-gen CarPlay coming?

Apple has also noted Color Filters will make the CarPlay interface easier to use, "with additional visual accessibility features including Bold Text."

As for further CarPlay updates, we're closing in on two years since the "next-generation CarPlay" was revealed and while we don't have any further updates on when it'll arrive, Aston Martin and Porsche have committed to rolling it out this year, but at the time of writing, we're yet to see it on either.

Other manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, are sticking with the existing version, though, so these new accessibility features will work there.

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Lloyd Coombes is a freelance writer with a specialism in Apple tech. From his first, hand-me-down iMac, he’s been working with Apple products for over a decade, and while he loves his iPhone and Mac, the iPad will always have his heart for reasons he still can’t quite fathom. Since moving from blogging to writing professionally, Lloyd’s work can be found at TechRadar, Macworld, TechAdvisor and plenty more. He’s also the Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com, and on the rare occasion he’s not writing you’ll find him spending time with his son, or working hard at the gym (while wearing an Apple Watch, naturally). You can find him on Twitter @lloydcoombes.