Testing CarPlay Ultra
Connecting to Ultra via Bluetooth takes a minute or two longer than traditional CarPlay and includes more consent screens to cover the additional legal ramifications of the operating system sharing data with the car, and vice versa. […] Once initiated, though, Ultra fired up straightaway every time. Much faster than the typical lag to boot up traditional CarPlay.
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Call me old-fashioned, but I still enjoy seeing a tachometer, speedometer, drive modes, and fuel level versus range remaining and a digital speed—especially on an engaging performance vehicle like the DB12 Volante. Apple might be skilled at making new tech easy to use, but it’s hard to beat the power of millions of minds adapting to analog gauges over the past century or so. And in this case, Ultra’s tach(s) showed a bit of latency or lag while ripping that 671-hp twin-turbo V8 up through the revs, something I never noticed in the native UI.
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Ultra’s biggest improvements over preceding CarPlay generations are in the center console infotainment integration. Being able to access climate controls, drive modes, and traction settings without leaving the intuitive suite of CarPlay makes life much easier.
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Plus, over the course of my eight days with Ultra, I experienced one moment where both the infotainment and gauge cluster went totally black.
Finally, someone tested what would happen to the CarPlay Ultra UI when your iPhone restarts or is shut down.
It’s what I expected, but a reboot still has annoying connectivity issues[…]
Yuri and Jakub Test Drive the 2026 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster[…]
They find that CarPlay Ultra is laggy, both switching between different modes and also just updating the gauges. They ask Siri to play music from channel 9, but it plays channel 18 instead.
William Gallagher (9to5Mac, The Verge, MacRumors):
The Ford Motor Company has previously committed to staying with the basic Apple CarPlay, but it won’t be adopting the newer CarPlay Ultra. Speaking to Joanna Stern on the Decoder podcast, CEO Jim Farley says he’s talked with Tim Cook many times about the future of integrated systems, but expects Ford may decide to make its own custom software.
Referring to a so-called “CarPlay myth” that drivers use it considerably, BMW SVP of UI/UX Development Stephan Durach insists that it is not true. Instead, BMW drivers really prefer using the car maker’s system.
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Durach refers to BMW’s in-car data, collected from 10 million cars, as proof to bust the myth. “We can see what our customers are doing,” he adds.
On the latest episode of The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told guest host Joanna Stern why the EV maker continues to pass on Apple’s CarPlay — both the standard version and the more advanced CarPlay Ultra.
Echoing his previous comments on the matter, Scaringe said Rivian is focused on offering a “seamless digital experience,” where customers do not need to switch between its own software and CarPlay. Instead, he said Rivian prefers to provide an à-la-carte selection of built-in apps, such as Apple Music, Google Maps, Spotify, and YouTube.
RJ is wrong: customers do not want a seamless digital experience within the apps on their car. Customers want a seamless digital experience with their smartphones. Everywhere.
CarPlay is the way you get it.
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But what if RJ is wrong? There’s no reason Rivian can’t have their bespoke and seamless experience for those that prefer it, and offer CarPlay for those that want it.
Previously:
