Recently, a Bloomberg report surprised Tesla drivers by revealing that the company is working on an initiative to add CarPlay support to its vehicles. While this has been a long-awaited feature by many users, the carmaker was always against it due to the development of its own software, which gives Tesla greater control of its ecosystem.
While most carmakers are willing to support CarPlay and Android Auto due to their popularity, one buzzy newcomer followed Tesla’s lead. Rivian, which also has plenty of drivers begging for CarPlay, is also against putting Apple’s infotainment platform in its vehicles. That said, the company clearly isn’t ruling out the idea of working with Apple altogether.
While Rivian already offers Apple Music with a Connect+ subscription, its software chief Wassym Bensaid announced that the second generation of Rivian vehicles will get native support for digital car keys on Apple, Google, and Samsung Wallets with the .46 OTA update later this month. For iPhone users, this means that if they own a Gen 2 Rivian, they will be able to unlock their vehicle simply by approaching it.
CarPlay is still a long shot for Rivian
According to Bensaid, Gen 2 Rivian owners will have access to everything the iPhone’s digital car key functionality offers, including UWB support for high precision, native watch support, and the ability to unlock the car via NFC even if the phone battery dies. Seeing Rivian announce this feature, which is something even Tesla doesn’t have, might ignite a spark of hope that Rivian could also start working on CarPlay support one day, like Tesla.
While hardcore users might be hoping that these companies eventually add CarPlay Ultra integration, Tesla is reportedly working on a display window “inside its broader interface.” That isn’t quite the CarPlay support that many drivers have been clamoring for, but it should be enough to bring a more familiar experience to Tesla vehicles for iPhone owners.
With Apple adding so many new features to CarPlay over the past few months — especially with the release of iOS 26 — drivers will get a more reliable experience while staying connected to their family and friends through Apple Maps, iMessage, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and more. We will let you know as we learn more about these upcoming features.
