Remember the time we used to keep a folder in the car full of CDs so that everyone in the car could take turns and play their favourite hits? Then it eventually evolved into the aux cable and then Bluetooth made life easier. Later on, Apple CarPlay made the music experience way easier and more accessible to one user. How do you top that?

Well, with all the big commotion going on about the new Vision Pro by Apple, this sleek update to Apple CarPlay was overshadowed. It’s an update to iOS 17 which allows passengers to join in on being the DJ in a shared media session. Now to those who do not know, this is a feature that has already been accessible in the Spotify app. So… Apple is kind of late to the game.

To make things worse, the feature is currently only compatible with Apple’s native music app. Third-party apps might, however, someday be supported. We probably have to wait for an iOS 25 update before they can do this…

This update is the only CarPlay change for the iOS 17 that has been publicly announced thus far. The offline version of Apple Maps, which allows users to access turn-by-turn directions even when there is no cellular reception, was also unveiled by Apple. This feature will benefit people who live in locations with patchy cellular coverage. It’s unclear, though, whether CarPlay or only handheld cell usage will allow this feature.

Now, it’s certainly fair to say that those anticipating an array of news regarding CarPlay found this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to be a bit of a letdown. After all, a virtual aux cord is merely the beginning of Apple CarPlay’s upcoming major enhancements. Although customers desire this, some OEMs are working against it in favour of internally built systems. Others have vowed to preserve Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

It’s still unclear whether or not CarPlay will receive any big changes soon. We are confident that the first car to implement Apple’s CarPlay vision will be huge news, despite the fact that Apple is generally coy about its improvements prior to an official release. It might even turn out to be the rumoured Apple Car after all.