Apple’s latest iOS 18.4 update brings several subtle but impactful improvements to CarPlay, making your driving experience smoother and less distracting. Released earlier this month alongside new Siri languages, an Apple News recipe section, and Ambient Music options, the CarPlay enhancements focus on providing more information at a glance so you can keep your eyes where they belong—on the road.
Extra Row of Icons for Larger Displays
The most noticeable change in iOS 18.4 is the addition of a third row of app icons for vehicles with larger infotainment screens. Previously limited to just two rows regardless of screen size, this update makes better use of the available display real estate in certain cars.
Rather than enlarging existing icons to fill the space (which would create clunky, oversized buttons), Apple opted to increase the number of apps visible at once. This thoughtful design choice means less time spent scrolling through pages of apps while driving.
“Screens and driving don’t mix well, especially when you’re fumbling through menus,” notes technology analyst Sarah Chen. “This update reduces the need to navigate away from the main screen, which directly translates to improved safety on the road.”
Currently, this feature appears limited to vehicles with larger displays. When 9to5Mac tested the feature, they found that standard 8-inch infotainment screens still displayed the traditional two rows of icons. Apple hasn’t released a comprehensive list of compatible vehicles yet, but industry experts expect support to expand in future updates.
Sports Scores at Your Fingertips
Sports fans will appreciate another new feature in iOS 18.4: the ability to check live sports scores directly from CarPlay. This integration allows drivers to stay up to date on game action without having to reach for their phones—a dangerous distraction that leads to thousands of crashes annually.
Current implementation is quite basic, with score updates but little else. Apple does appear to be setting the stage, though, for more robust sports features. In September, 9to5Mac had news that Apple had made available an API geared toward sports app developers, which indicated that more robust integration with third-party sports apps or even Apple’s native Apple Sports app may be coming.
“The sports score feature is an ideal example of how technology has to work in automobiles,” says car technology critic Miguel Rodriguez. “It provides you with what you require—the score—without complexity or distraction.”
Weather Conditions Integration
The third major feature adds more advanced weather information to your dashboard. More detailed weather is now available on CarPlay, providing drivers with valuable information about what’s occurring outside of the vehicle without needing to switch apps or touch their phones.
This aspect is especially beneficial to tourists who travel far, as they may experience a variety of weather conditions on a single trip. The at-a-glance weather forecasts may assist drivers in preparing to handle fluctuating road conditions before they become hazardous.
The Bigger Picture: Apple’s Dedication to Encouraging Safety
These improvements help to emphasize Apple’s ongoing attempts to make CarPlay not only more practical, but safer to utilize while driving.
By reducing the amount of time required to dig through convoluted menus or switch between applications, the company is making some effort to address one of the most significant concerns over in-car tech: driver distraction.
Distracted driving accounted for more than 3,500 fatalities in 2023 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Technology companies are being asked more and more to create interfaces that reduce driver distraction while maintaining useful functionality.
“What makes these CarPlay updates noteworthy isn’t that they’re flashy—it’s the opposite,” says Dr. Jordan Park, a human-computer interaction researcher in the automotive space. “Apple is trying to reduce cognitive load by making information more easily accessible with fewer interactions. That’s where in-car interfaces need to go.”
Although these iOS 18.4 updates are incremental and not a full-scale makeover, they provide clues regarding Apple’s vision for the future of CarPlay.
Apple has already committed to plans for a more sophisticated version of CarPlay that would reach beyond the infotainment system to instrument clusters and climate controls.
