CarPlay Does CarPlay ever become unsupported?

[Xand&Roby]

I have an older car without CarPlay. The manufacturer is offering an upgrade that would include new features including CarPlay. I plan to keep the car a long time. Does anyone know as the car ages if the CarPlay wouldn’t be supported by a new iPhoneat some point? Basically, has that already happened?

Also, am I right in saying that if iPhones get rid of Lightning and USB-C completely then all of the wired CarPlay cars are down with. There is no workaround right?

Any thoughts appreciated!

I drive a 1999 car introduced in 1993, with CarPlay for 6 or 7 years. Apple, at most, can cancel the old CarPlay next year when it releases the new one, but it would be a really stupid move. It can make the old CarPlay unenable on new iPhones or new iOS, but this would also be a stupid move. In my opinion, you can use it safely for years, as long as you don't change your phone and os. Consider the expense, with 150/300€ you have CarPlay in any car, Porsche 1.500€ PCCM systems are as cute as they are useless (the 3.5” on-screen PCCM is probably the most useless).

 

[symphony]

Mazda offers retrofitting too, and it’s amazing that CarPlay works with the car’s system.

Goes to dark mode when going into dim areas, steering wheel and dial controllers work, unfortunately touchscreen deactivates when driving.

It was wired but bought an adapter. It works great wireless. I use MagSafe to charge while driving.

Doubt wired will become unsupported though.

 

[philstubbington]

I have an older car without CarPlay. The manufacturer is offering an upgrade that would include new features including CarPlay. I plan to keep the car a long time. Does anyone know as the car ages if the CarPlay wouldn’t be supported by a new iPhoneat some point? Basically, has that already happened?

Also, am I right in saying that if iPhones get rid of Lightning and USB-C completely then all of the wired CarPlay cars are down with. There is no workaround right?

Any thoughts appreciated!

I suspect you're more likely to have a car that has CarPlay that doesn't support the latest features of CarPlay. For example, all the new dashboard instrument support that's coming in.

 

[BellSystem]

I'm sharing a concern.

20-300 milliseconds (real numbers) isn’t even close to the general inaccuracy of your phones GPS. The swings in your phones GPS are more inconsistent and variabled. GPS accuracy is at best 65 feet but can vary wildly based on atmospheric conditions. Even 1,000 milliseconds wouldn’t compare to that. Latency is a non-issue. A GPS from the 1990s had more latency just processing the directions and would be much slower to respond to thick areas with obstructed views. At 65mph 1000 milliseconds of latency = .0180 miles which = 95 feet. 300 milliseconds would be about 32 feet which is half the best accuracy rate of the GPS in the phone….which is more accurate than GPS units from the early days which didn’t cause accidents.

No reason to be concerned.

 

[sam_dean]

20-300 milliseconds (real numbers) isn’t even close to the general inaccuracy of your phones GPS. The swings in your phones GPS are more inconsistent and variabled. GPS accuracy is at best 65 feet but can vary wildly based on atmospheric conditions. Even 1,000 milliseconds wouldn’t compare to that. Latency is a non-issue. A GPS from the 1990s had more latency just processing the directions and would be much slower to respond to thick areas with obstructed views. At 65mph 1000 milliseconds of latency = .0180 miles which = 95 feet. 300 milliseconds would be about 32 feet which is half the best accuracy rate of the GPS in the phone….which is more accurate than GPS units from the early days which didn’t cause accidents.

No reason to be concerned.

Another concern is that the iPhone isn't charged while inside the car. With wired CarPlay the smartphone's being charged.

 

[Lee_Bo]

My wife and I both have wireless CP adapters in our cars. Zero lag/latency/whatever you want to call it while using Google Maps. Been using them for a couple of years with no issues.

I also have a QuadLock case with charging head in my car so charging isn’t an issue.

 

[IwatchScot]

Good of you to ask.

My worry is that when I use any Map app the latency due to added wireless overhead would make me miss the turn that I need to get to.

This applies to urban areas with really narrow streets. I've experienced overshooting corners that I was meant to turn into.

No latency issues over wireless. I live in the city in the UK with very narrow streets and never had an issues. The sat nav also tells you on x yards etc to take the 2rd turning on the left. You have to drive slower in the cities and even slower if you are not sure about directions etc. Its also down to you and not just the sat nav!

 

[Unami]

I've experienced overshooting corners that I was meant to turn into.

I think most people have experienced that. At least I have. The trick is to know your turns in advance, watch your lane guidance and not to panic and make a rushed turn if it still happens. It will happen anyway sometimes due to bad GPS reception. If it's a constant lag, it's at least predictable. In a city with a speed limit of 50km/h (31mph) even a fairly large lag of 2 sec would only mean being 28m (92 feet) behind.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

Using the term FUD is impolite unless your intent is to be rude.

If your intent is to be rude, that's quite impolite.

 

[fatTribble]

I doubt the “original” CarPlay functionality will ever stop working. Apple may introduce CarPlay 2.0 or whatever, but I’m sure all future phones will fall back to the original CarPlay if needed.

If the ports are removed, Apple will likely sell (either themselves or via a licensed partner) an official wireless dongle.

So I would go ahead and update the unit. If you don’t already have a touchscreen/Bluetooth, it’s even more worth it.

Thanks. Yeah right now I just have CD and radio. No Bluetooth even

 

[fatTribble]

Are you driving a Porsche? In recent news that's a car brand that is offering retrofit CarPlay.

I expect the stereo head unit to support it for at least a decade. My 2016 Honda Civic still runs it

Yep that’s the one. I’d definitely like the upgrade but don’t want to be stuck with half a unit years down the road (sorry for that pun)

 

[sam_dean]

Yep that’s the one. I’d definitely like the upgrade but don’t want to be stuck with half a unit years down the road (sorry for that pun)

I'm sure Porsche will offer an upgrade.

 

[fatTribble]

I suspect you're more likely to have a car that has CarPlay that doesn't support the latest features of CarPlay. For example, all the new dashboard instrument support that's coming in.

Yeah and that’s completely fine. Mostly I’d enjoy Apple Music and navigation. It would still be much fancier than what I have. No 3D holograms required.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Another concern is that the iPhone isn't charged while inside the car. With wired CarPlay the smartphone's being charged.

… and the goal line moves … (thus FUD)

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

Another concern is that the iPhone isn't charged while inside the car. With wired CarPlay the smartphone's being charged.

My Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has wireless carplay and a wireless charging pad. This really isn't an issue.

 

[AZhappyjack]

My Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has wireless carplay and a wireless charging pad. This really isn't an issue.

My wife's Edge does, as well.

 

[Berti10]

Good of you to ask.

My worry is that when I use any Map app the latency due to added wireless overhead would make me miss the turn that I need to get to.

This applies to urban areas with really narrow streets. I've experienced overshooting corners that I was meant to turn into.

You already have a high latency from the GPS. The satnav predicts where you are to give you the impression, that it is live. This is why if you make a unexpected turn, the Satnav still thinks you are on the old route for a few sec. before it notices.

 

[Berti10]

I have an older car without CarPlay. The manufacturer is offering an upgrade that would include new features including CarPlay. I plan to keep the car a long time. Does anyone know as the car ages if the CarPlay wouldn’t be supported by a new iPhoneat some point? Basically, has that already happened?

Also, am I right in saying that if iPhones get rid of Lightning and USB-C completely then all of the wired CarPlay cars are down with. There is no workaround right?

Any thoughts appreciated!

In general, CarPlay is only a streamed video signal, that is completely processed on your iPhone. So no matter how old the hardware in the car is, it would always feel as updated as your phone is.

Of course, if you have a bad touchscreen it will always be a bad screen no matter which divice you have.

 

[philstubbington]

Yeah and that’s completely fine. Mostly I’d enjoy Apple Music and navigation. It would still be much fancier than what I have. No 3D holograms required.

Same here.

Legally I suspect cars need to have speed gauges, etc. rather than rely on CarPlay.

With the exception of tyre pressure I get everything else I may be vaguely interested in via the MyToyota app.

 

[philstubbington]

You already have a high latency from the GPS. The satnav predicts where you are to give you the impression, that it is live. This is why if you make a unexpected turn, the Satnav still thinks you are on the old route for a few sec. before it notices.

If I’m in an unfamiliar area I always put voice prompts on.

 

[sam_dean]

My Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has wireless carplay and a wireless charging pad. This really isn't an issue.

Adds complexities and cost.

 

[Brandon42]

I use wired CarPlay on my own car and have never had any problems. I used wireless CarPlay on a rental car and it lost the connection to the car and wouldn’t reconnect twice in 5 days. That said, it could be Kia’s implementation of wireless CarPlay that is to blame.

 

[BellSystem]

Another concern is that the iPhone isn't charged while inside the car. With wired CarPlay the smartphone's being charged.

…….nothing is stopping you from plugging it into a car charger. We’ve had that technology since the Motorola brick phones. Cars even are coming with wireless charging today.

 

[Brandon42]

…….nothing is stopping you from plugging it into a car charger. We’ve had that technology since the Motorola brick phones. Cars even are coming with wireless charging today.

I think it is amusing that Chevrolet (in a 2019 model year) put a wireless charger that requires you to insert your phone into a slot in a car that only had wired CarPlay.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Adds complexities and cost.

Complexity? It's a wire to a charging pad. Cost? $100-200 over the life of your vehicle... AND it solves the straw man issue that you raised.