The next generation of Apple CarPlay, called CarPlay Ultra, is finally here. Initially announced nearly three years ago at WWDC 2022 and after many months of delays, CarPlay Ultra is rolling out to new vehicles, starting with cars from the British maker Aston Martin.
This next generation of CarPlay gives drivers a smarter, safer way to use their iPhone in the car, while deeply integrating with the car’s systems and showcasing the unique look and feel of each automaker. We are excited to kick off the rollout of CarPlay Ultra with Aston Martin — and this is just the beginning, with more automakers on the way.
CarPlay Ultra builds on top of CarPlay's existing capabilities. It integrates deeper into supported vehicles by showing information not just on the infotainment display but also on the driver's screen or gauge cluster. Besides showing information like your map and what is currently playing, CarPlay Ultra can replace the stock gauges with customizable gauges, climate controls, performance settings, vehicle-specific options, tire pressure monitoring, and more, delivering a consistent look and feel across the driving systems. Also, with CarPlay Ultra, iPhones provide on-screen widgets with useful information at a glance.
With CarPlay Ultra, Apple wants to preserve each brand's styling and identity, so it worked closely with car manufacturers to provide custom themes that can be customized further using wallpapers, accent colors, and more.
Apple CarPlay Ultra is available in the United States and Canada in the following Aston Martin cars:
- Aston Martin DB12 Coupe and DB12 Volante
- Aston Martin New Vantage Coupe and Vantage Roadster
- Aston Martin Vanquish Coupe and Vanquish Volante
- Aston Martin DX707
- Aston Martin DBX S
Other vehicles and countries will join in the next 12 months. Existing Aston Martin vehicle owners will be able to get their hands on CarPlay Ultra in the coming weeks after updating their in-car software at local dealers. It is also worth noting that CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 and newer with iOS 18.5 and later. You can read more about it on Apple's or Aston Martin's official website.
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