iOS 17 is now available in beta for developers, and the pre-release version of the iPhone update includes a few changes for CarPlay. An update to Apple Music is the biggest change, but there’s more to see.
The headlining new feature for CarPlay in iOS 17 is Apple Music SharePlay. Apple says it makes playing music together easier.
Now SharePlay makes it easier for everyone to control music in the car — even passengers in the back seat — so everyone can play their favorite music and contribute to what’s playing.
Starting up Apple Music SharePlay in the car happens from the Now Playing screen. Tapping a SharePlay icon looks for nearby contacts who are running iOS 17 or later. There’s also a QR code that any passenger can scan to easily join the SharePlay session.
Scanning the code (you can try it) from your iPhone prompts you to connect to the SharePlay session. There’s also an option to enable or disable discovery for nearby contacts.
Interacting with Siri also gets a refresh, thanks to iOS 17. If you’re running iOS 17 on a supported iPhone, you can now prompt the voice assistant by saying “Siri” instead of “Hey Siri” while using CarPlay.
And with iOS 17 comes a new wallpaper option with both light (above) and dark (below) modes:
And lastly, there’s a new design for sending and playing back messages. Buttons are large tap targets, and there’s a toggle in the right corner to enable/disable Announce Messages for that conversation.
While iOS 17 may be light on features for CarPlay, it’s nice to see some enhancements added while we await next-generation CarPlay (and drive cars for years to come without next-gen CarPlay). For more on CarPlay, check out our regularly updated guides:
- Best Apple CarPlay retrofit options for your car
- These are the best CarPlay apps for iPhone
- These are the best CarPlay apps for EV owners
- This adapter turns standard CarPlay into wireless, actually works
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