Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Castro Podcast
CarPlay is here to stay, and the new version that’s on the way confirms that users love connecting their iPhone to their car. Vehicle manufacturers can’t ignore this trend, and software developers are making more and more efforts to offer CarPlay support in their apps, as users don’t want to leave it behind while driving.
Earlier this week, I told you about a major app release that makes converting speech to text as easy as 1-2-3, even when using CarPlay. This app release confirms that CarPlay is expanding on new fronts, especially as Apple opens the doors to more categories.
Today’s version comes from an application that was already available on CarPlay, but now gets a redesigned experience.
Castro Podcast is a great podcast player whose purpose is to make managing subscriptions as easy as possible. I won’t go into detail about its features since you can find it on the App Store, but if you’re looking for a great podcast player with CarPlay support, this one deserves a chance.
The latest update to version 2024.8 includes big CarPlay changes as the developers have added chapter support. They claim that this has been one of the most requested features in the Car, along with the dedicated speed selection UI. I’ve already tried the app and I’m particularly impressed with the chapter list, although it does require your attention, especially if you’re listening to a long podcast with a dozen chapters.
If you’re already a Castro Podcast user and have automatic updates enabled, the new version should be installed on your iPhone. If you’re new to the app and want to try it out, download it from the App Store.
In the meantime, Apple should be putting the finishing touches on the new-generation CarPlay experience, which is due to arrive this year. CarPlay 2.0 should support most apps that are compatible with the current version, but we’re still waiting for confirmation on that. Since CarPlay 2.0 will run on all screens in the dashboard, including the passenger screens and the instrument cluster, apps may need further updates to take advantage of this feature, but Apple should announce more specific details next month.
The iPhone maker is expected to detail its CarPlay strategy at the iPhone event next month. Apple announced the new CarPlay experience at WWDC in 2022, and the first automakers confirmed the system’s launch in late 2023.
Porsche and Aston Martin have promised to launch cars with CarPlay 2.0 this year, but no further announcement has been made so far. The two automakers could attend Apple’s event in September to talk about CarPlay and share more information about its integration into their models, but everything is still unconfirmed, as is usually the case with any new project in the Apple ecosystem.
