Apple reportedly intends to make CarPlay more useful

Apple Car rumors may have cooled in recent months, but that doesn’t mean the company has given up on its automotive ambitions. A new Bloomberg report says Apple is in the early stages of expanding CarPlay to be more than just an infotainment system.

The idea behind the project, nicknamed “IronHeart,“ is to extend CarPlay integrations so that you can have more control over a car’s systems, settings and sensors. This includes things like air conditioning, air conditioning, speaker settings, seats and armrests, and the speedometer. Right now, CarPlay works by connecting your iPhone to your car’s display to control things like music, view detailed navigation, and provide a hands-free way to send messages while driving.

But this expansion of service would require buy-in from car manufacturers. While most of the major automakers have kissed CarPlay Since its launch in 2014, granting more access to a car’s key systems may be more than what automakers are comfortable with. For example, in iOS 14, Apple introduced Car key, which allows you to unlock a compatible car with your phone or Apple Watch. So far, the only compatible cars are the 2021 BMWs.

One problem is that this type of deal may seem lopsided in Apple’s favor. He gets to do the banking without having to build a car himself, while the automakers have to cede ground to Apple. This type of imbalance was seen as one of the reasons why the talks between Apple and Hyundai to build the so-called Apple Car collapsed earlier this year. Hyundai would have had little interest in become Apple’s Foxconn for cars, because that would involve doing the “dirty work” while Apple reaped the rewards.

On the flip side, as Bloomberg points out, automakers might not have a choice. In iOS 15, Apple extended its wallet functionality to include digital IDs, car keys, keys for smart locks and even verifiable vaccination cards. It’s the kind of all-in-one convenience that allows you to lose your iPhone or switch iPhones.a gigantic galley. (That’s exactly what Apple wants.) If these features were to take off, automakers could annoy customers by not play ball.

As with other secret Apple projects, this one may never see the light of day. After all, we’ve been whispering about Project Titan for god knows how many years at this point and even the most aggressive deadlines put a potential launch of Apple Car in 2024. Another factor is that Apple’s automotive ambitions recently took a serious hit after several personalities from its automotive division have left the company. The most recent was Doug Field, who has led the entire Apple Car project for the past three years. Field to the left abruptly left in september to become Ford’s director of advanced technologies. So while it seems clear that Apple is aiming for some kind of presence in the automotive world, it might be a long, long, long time before we see any big money moves.