Apple quietly hid a big change coming for CarPlay with iOS 27

Porsche

Have you ever sat successful your CarPlay-equipped conveyance waiting to prime up a friend and thought, "Why can't I play a video connected this ginormous screen?" If so, there's immoderate bully news: Apple quietly announced astatine WWDC 2026 that CarPlay will soon fto you browse and play videos straight connected supported vehicles erstwhile iOS 27 arrives. This news came soon aft Google announced that HD video playback would beryllium coming to Android Auto arsenic well. 

This CarPlay video capacity will only activity erstwhile nan car is stationary; if nan strategy detects motion, it will move to an audio-only mode, arsenic Inside EVs detailed. Still, it will beryllium a godsend to saturated EV owners charging their vehicles, ride-sharing drivers waiting for passengers and parents picking up their kids from school. There are a fewer superior caveats, though, that whitethorn importantly hold wide readiness of this feature.

Here's really nan caller CarPlay video characteristic will work, arsenic Apple explained to developers successful its WWDC 2026 "Rev up your CarPlay app" video. The thought is that devs tin adhd video playback for apps successful caller cars that support its upcoming "video successful car" feature. This requires AirPlay streaming, thing that Apple introduced past twelvemonth pinch iOS 26.4 to let video mirroring from an iPhone. More connected that shortly. 

The caller iOS 27 video characteristic takes this to nan adjacent level, letting users not only play backmost but browse videos. In its demonstration, Apple uses a fictitious "Landmark" app arsenic an example, but this could presumably use to immoderate video streaming app, for illustration Apple TV aliases YouTube. The demo is aimed astatine developers, but gives end-users an thought of what to expect arsenic well.

If your app and CarPlay strategy support video playback, you'll spot an action for "Videos" astatine nan apical near of nan display. Selecting that will show a database of video thumbnails you'd typically spot successful video streaming apps, on pinch a mini subordinate astatine nan apical correct pinch basal controls. When a video is playing, nan thumbnail besides shows nan remaining clip and existent progress, on pinch badges for recently added aliases unrecorded streaming videos. 

In Apple's demo, pressing a thumbnail brings up a database position showing nan selected video connected apical pinch a "Play" fastener and "+" fastener to adhd to a playlist. Tapping Play will past show nan video astatine afloat screen, pinch controls to fto you skip up aliases backmost 10 seconds, spot subtitles and spell backmost to nan erstwhile page. Apple emphasized that video will only activity erstwhile nan car is parked, for evident information reasons. 

Harry Howitt/Shutterstock

As mentioned, video connected CarPlay isn't marque new. With nan motorboat of iOS 26.4 past year, Apple introduced video mirroring to CarPlay screens from an iPhone utilizing AirPlay. This is not arsenic precocious arsenic nan iOS 27 video browsing and playback characteristic we explored above, but it's different measurement to position video. Here's really that works: First, you alteration AirPlay connected supported apps and prime your vehicle's CarPlay infotainment strategy arsenic a mirroring source. Then, erstwhile you play a video connected your iPhone, it should look connected nan vehicle's surface arsenic well. 

I opportunity "should" for a reason. The reality is that astir CarPlay systems don't look to let mirroring from an iPhone yet — contempt nan truth that wireless CarPlay systems use AirPlay arsenic nan underlying Wi-Fi streaming layer. For instance, I expected to find YouTube videos demonstrating nan characteristic successful vehicles, moreover successful beta, but I came up quiet different than a CarPlay developer simulation connected a laptop. 

Other hardware constraints whitethorn beryllium an rumor arsenic well. Developers have noticed that CarPlay video mirroring only useful connected displays pinch a minimum 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, but galore mill car caput portion installations don't person that. Also, video streaming playback mostly requires H.265 aliases HEVC codec support and 4GB aliases much of memory, and again, older CarPlay systems whitethorn deficiency those specs.

This missing conveyance support whitethorn explicate why Apple hasn't played up nan characteristic more. At WWDC 2025, nan institution said that automakers needed to instrumentality CarPlay video functionality, some to let for nan other hardware demands for video and to observe erstwhile nan conveyance is parked. So far, though, not 1 automaker has announced support. 

It's clear, then, that Apple was strictly laying nan groundwork for early implementation by devs and automakers. That begs nan question, though: when is this much-anticipated characteristic coming to an existent car? Based connected nan deficiency of actual merchandise announcements from some Apple and nan car industry, nan reply appears to beryllium "not imminently." 

Normally, if Apple had thing to show consumers astir a nifty caller CarPlay feature, it would do truthful enthusiastically. It mightiness moreover uncover nan car brands that will support CarPlay video aliases show it successful action connected a vehicle's infotainment system. Google, for instance, demonstrated YouTube playing connected Android Auto wrong a Kia EV astatine its I/O 2026 convention earlier this year. Its Android section besides revealed nan circumstantial conveyance manufacturers supporting HD 60fps playback connected Android Auto, including Skoda, Volvo, Kia and Mercedes-Benz. 

In comparison, Apple's soundlessness astir CarPlay video is deafening, but that could alteration soon. The institution will apt unveil its latest iPhone 18 models successful September, and whitethorn besides person different Mac-related event sometime this year. That would springiness it a aureate opportunity to uncover much info astir nan caller CarPlay characteristic — truthful hopefully we'll soon cognize precisely erstwhile it will yet thief america stave disconnected boredom erstwhile parked successful our cars.