Apple CarPlay Ultra Debuts In Aston Martin With Improved Car Integration And More

Apple has introduced the biggest update to the native infotainment system called CarPlay Ultra. With this latest iteration, the tech giant has liberated phone mirroring tech from the centre infotainment screen and given it the power to take over interface duties on the digital gauge cluster screen to operate most of the car’s major functions. However, this power can only be used by manufacturers by directly working with Apple.

Car Brands With Apple CarPlay Ultra

The new system has made its debut with Aston Martin and, in the future, will be seen in the cars of brands like Porsche, Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia. The consumers ordering Aston Martins from the USA and Canada will get Apple CarPlay Ultra compatibility. Meanwhile, the owners of older MY2025 Astons and 2024 Aston Martin DB12s have the option of getting an upgrade after a visit to their dealer.

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Apple CarPlay Ultra: Interface, Functions

The CarPlay Ultra gets a familiar interface when compared to CarPlay, with a few changes. The well-known home screen, featuring navigation and media options, stays in place. However, Ultra brings in a new widgets page, which can be accessed by swiping right from the home screen. This customizable page enables users to showcase a few essential insights, such as information related to time and weather.

With a left swipe on the home screen, the user is taken back to the CarPlay compatible apps, but with Ultra, there is a trio of new widgets that were not available in the standard version: Climate, Radio, and Vehicle. It allows one to remain in the CarPlay environment while adjusting the applications.

Apple performs many of these functions directly on the device (instead of reflecting them from the phone) with the help of the car’s integrated processing capabilities, ensuring a mostly seamless user experience. However, certain functions still use the original UX and UI.

Moreover, there’s no requirement to leave CarPlay Ultra, look for a specific tool within the original infotainment system, make adjustments, and then find a specific widget to return to CarPlay. Instead, you simply locate the menu in CarPlay, make any necessary changes on the overlaid page from the native system, and then exit that page to get back to CarPlay.

Apple CarPlay Ultra: Instrument Cluster

A similar function can be seen in the gauge cluster as well, where specific native menus and displays are layered over the Apple-style graphics. While the font and aesthetic of the cluster visuals have a clear Apple influence, the overall design incorporates various automaker-specific elements to maintain the unique identity of the particular auto brand utilizing CarPlay Ultra.