Apple promised us CarPlay 2.0 in 2024 – but it hasn't arrived yet

We've seen renders of CarPlay 2.0 – but no actual launch (Image credit: Apple)

CarPlay 2.0 has missed its 2024 deadline
Small updates were spotted in November
A full launch could still happen in 2025

You may remember Apple teasing a next-gen CarPlay experience back in December 2023, with Porsche and Aston Martin apparently signed up to help – and we were then promised that the software would be rolling out in the US sometime in 2024.

Well, it's now 2025 – happy new year by the way – and CarPlay 2.0 has yet to arrive. As MacRumors notes, at the time of writing the official Apple website still says the first models fitted with the next generation of CarPlay will "arrive in 2024".

That raises the question of whether Apple is still working on this improved version of its in-car software, or whether it's abandoned the idea of a more integrated experience – in the same way that it's apparently abandoned plans for an Apple Car.

What is CarPlay 2.0?

Apple CarPlay interface — The current CarPlay runs on top of existing in-car software (Image credit: Shutterstock / Hadrian)

Apple went into quite a bit of detail about this new and improved CarPlay at its WWDC event in June 2024. We heard about branding that would be tweaked for each car maker, and new apps offering deeper hooks into the different parts of the vehicle.

Essentially, that's what Apple CarPlay 2.0 is about: deeper integration into features such as climate control, on-board cameras, and electric vehicle charge status, which the current version of CarPlay can't access.

All of this will require help from the automobile manufacturers, which may be the reason for the delay. Getting these companies to commit to Apple's car software rather than their own is perhaps one of the major stumbling blocks in the way.

We were a little concerned about the delay back in December – but let's hope it is just a delay and not a full cancellation. Another WWDC show will no doubt be set for June, and we might have heard more by then.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.