There are normal sunny days and those during which you drive a 707 hp dream vehicle, while trying the new Apple Carplay Ultra. But if the car touches the exceptional, the system is still looking for itself. To understand, we will return a chouïa behind, then explain the interest and the limits of this extended version of Apple automotive software.
Roads, GPS, GPS and pendant smartphones
End of the war (yes “a little” behind), the car is becoming more and more. Symbol of freedom, it is the way to travel and flirt. Sometimes before each other. It is a whole ecosystem that has deployed around it, going from the journey to music. Besides, ski resorts are a pure product linked to the automobile. They were a reason to travel in winter. Clever! So there were the Michelin cards, the bad indications of Michel, and this magic object, the GPS, using a satellite triangulation to guide people.
Then the smartphone arrived. Mutant polymorphic and ultra muscular version of the phone, it absorbed everything, from the camera to the MP3 player, including this famous GPS, killing the golden egg hen of car manufacturers: the famous paid update of cartography (in addition to a perfectible option).
It was Nokia who first deployed a cartography, coupled with guide software. Named here Maps, he was a precursor in 3D buildings modeling and ultra realistic indications to help the most zero in GPS guidance. Moreover, this solution was bought by car manufacturers. This is how almost overnight, phones wore the windshields of cars in traffic, walking on each donkey taken with a little too vehement.
The sleight of hand of “premiumisation”
Very quickly, manufacturers understand that their homemade GPS is no longer useful. What is needed is to project the screen of the smartphone on an even larger slab, in order to gain readability and premiumization. Because a screen evokes a TV. In the popular unconscious, it is statutory. A large screen is expensive, so luxurious. It is especially less expensive than pimples, sometimes made for a single model.
There was one point to manage: the interface. The manufacturers have never been good for that. Then arrived Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Systems related to smartphones and adapting to automobile models. A way to have its apps adapted to the hardware of the car. All, based on the driver’s smartphone.
The motorist then finds himself juggling with two systems: that native to his vehicle, with all the info of the car (engine temperature, possible problems, headlights, etc.) and the software part of the smartphone. So it remained to merge all of this!
Android Automotive and Apple Carplay Ultra: two rooms, two atmospheres
It is the electric car and the need to integrate the situation from the battery to its software planning that prompted Android Automotive to exist. The development system allows manufacturers to integrate vehicle information in real time into applications, and even control the system. There is no longer any smartphone overlay and a simple connection to its Google account on the car is enough.
Everything is treated by Google servers. To the point that the smartphone can exist simultaneously, allowing Waze to display on the main screen and maps on the secondary screen.
Apple Carplay Ultra uses another approach. Everything happens via the iPhone. The latter is therefore always an extension of the smartphone, but it can now recover data specific to the automobile to which it is linked. What also interact with different functions. It’s fun, because Android and Apple have respectively adopted exactly the same approach for their payment solutions. Google Pay goes through servers while Apple Pay relies on the phone chip.
This means that a large part of the information exchanged between the car and the smartphone remain locally on the side of Apple. Result: you will need an iPhone recent enough to benefit from Carplay Ultra. But rest assured, an iPhone 12 is enough for the moment.
Our Apple Carplay Ultra handling
One of the annoying things of the classic carplay is this need to juggle between the vehicle interface and that of Apple. If you need to access a technical adjustment, such as deactivating aid (noisy) to driving, you must enter the menu and click on the manufacturer’s icon to get out of Carplay and enter a new interface, rarely successful and never in the continuity of Carplay.
With the ultra version, it’s over. It is possible to set these aids, driving mode, air conditioning, radio station and even saving all settings chosen under a user profile.
However, there is a size corollary: the standardization between vehicles. With Carplay Ultra, you will be able to keep your settings if you change … Aston Martin. If you change the manufacturer, you will obviously have to resume the settings.
Perfectible standardization
Let’s not go there by four paths: the Apple interface is not serious enough for such a car. Understand that flat design has its limits. Aston Martin was able to bring his own IU, but the Apple’s imprint was still too palpable. To see what will give the iOS26 update and the (or not) adoption of Liquid Glass. Because yes, Apple Carplay Ultra will follow the style of iOS and therefore developments in the system.
However, despite constant collaboration, some duplicates question. Thus, the touchscreen of air conditioning via Carplay Ultra, which requires two successive interactions, duplicates with the physical wheel of the DBX, much more ergonomic and satisfactory, in addition to being usable blind.
Result, this integration of settings which saves us a passage in the native interface of the car is only used for modifications to be made at a stop and once and for all. Even the radio has been manageable from the native system without overlying carplay normally.
Strange limitations
Limitations, there were many. Starting with the display of the GPS card on the 100% digital dashboard. Possible with plan, waze, but not maps. Maps has also lost the thread more than once and fought to recover the signal and recalculate the route. The voice command is again limited. We are far from informal language. One of the magic formulas must be found. However, the microphone worked well and understood what I said.
Physical control wheels are not all compatible with navigation in the Carplay interface (the small tactile pads of the steering wheel are, but not the knobs). We touch the finger there the limits of the system. Choose the physical elements capable of interacting with ultra carplay of those who are not.
The sound adjustment interface is nothing special or playful and the watch widgets by swilating on the right (the same as those that are displayed when you load your iPhone horizontally) do not serve much.
Apple Carplay Ultra gives the impression that the manufacturers must bring into poorly arranged boxes of too specific options.
Our opinion: Too limited for the efforts requested
Apple Carplay Ultra, as is, more like a technological showcase than a real advance for the user. Yes, further integration promises a unified experience. But in fact, between interface limitations, lack of personalization (despite virtual themes and combinations), the alternative of physical and tactile controls and ergonomics that does not bring a really significant gain. Especially on a thermal engine, which does not need the state of the battery to the GPS planner.
The paradox is there: Apple wants to simplify, but ends up complexifying. This new generation carplay imposes a heavy work of adaptation to manufacturers, all for a still rigid and visually bland system. What works very well on an iPhone does not always adapt to the felted luxury of an Aston Martin DBX, nor to its physical commands usable blind.
So yes, the ambition is beautiful. And the next versions may correct these youth faults. But for the moment, Carplay Ultra remains a great promise, not yet held.
Trenched opinions
If Aston Martin opens the walk (and for good reason, 90% of the customers use an iPhone), other manufacturers (including Porsche and Hyundai) will also play the Carplay Ultra card. But faced with Apple’s grievances, other manufacturers, however, abandoned this solution. This is particularly the case of Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Polestar or Renault.
Anyway, as long as the classic versions of Carplay and Android Auto remain available, this will not impact users much.
First hot review: Dubitative
On a daily basis, there must be appreciable things, that’s for sure. But difficult not to see a remainder of Titan project, the “Apple car” which tries to survive.
I also had trouble perceiving what this fusion brings interesting. Driving aid can often be deactivated via a manufacturer’s shortcut (this was the case here). Essential functions such as temperature or volume adjustment are controlled either via a voice command or via a dedicated button on the steering wheel. I also found that Aston Martin’s unbelievers were successful, but that the childish and boring design of Apple, coupled with an obvious lack of playful aspect, swore with the final will of a serious and desirable interface. Because Apple Carplay is, natively, not pretty. It may be here that the Liquid Glass would make sense.
But the biggest concern ultimately is this dependence on the iPhone. Apple Carplay Ultra would have had much more interest by completely freeing it. There, the concept would have made sense. For the moment, it gives the impression of a smartphone projection 2.0 and it’s a shame.
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