Roger Fingas
Fiat Chrysler on Monday revealed that a select group of Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep models rolling out this year will support Apple CarPlay, as well as Google's Android Auto.
The carmaker didn't say which exact models would gain the support in its official announcement. CarPlay will bridge with the company's proprietary Uconnect dash system, which is also being upgraded with things like faster startup times, more responsive touchscreens, and better overall performance.
The news comes alongside Ford deciding to embrace CarPlay, and Toyota eschewing it, ironically in favor of Ford's SmartDeviceLink.
The addition of several major automakers should be a boon to CarPlay, which despite launching in March 2014 only saw its first major partners jump on board in 2015. The lag has allowed Android Auto to not only launch but keep pace, in fact coming in tandem with CarPlay on many vehicles.
CarPlay allows iPhone owners to access a limited range of iOS apps from a car's dash display, keeping a driver's eyes closer to the road, if still not on it. In some cases apps can be controlled via buttons and knobs elsewhere in a vehicle, for instance through a voice command button on the steering wheel.
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5 Comments
I am not sure what Apple gets from auto manufacturers with the implementation of CarPlay. Customers, such as I, may be withholding purchase until the feature is available. My wife leased a 2015 Explorer so that we can wait until CarPlay is available. I have it in my truck via a Pioneer aftermarket unit. The Pioneer unit is so much better than the Sync unit in the Explorer. I may get a new truck when I see the 2017's and how they work. When the lease is up the Explorer will be replaced.
It's finally great to see Car Play gaining serious momentum with these 2016 / 2017 models coming out.
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