Major iOS Update | CarPlay Now Supports Third-Party AI Like ChatGPT

North American driving experiences are about to undergo an intelligent evolution. According to Apple's latest CarPlay developer guidelines (PDF), iOS 26.4 will for the first time natively support third-party conversational AI services like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

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🔹 Key Limitations and Considerations

• Functional Permissions: Third-party AI cannot control vehicle hardware (such as air conditioning, windows, or driving functions).
• Activation Method: Currently does not support wake words for direct access; users must manually click to enter the corresponding app.
• Adaptation Requirements: Developers need to update application permissions according to Apple's new regulations and adapt to the dedicated voice interface.

Currently, iOS 26.4 is in Beta testing. Apple has officially announced that this feature is expected to roll out with the official system version in Spring 2026, at which point North American users will say goodbye to Siri as their only voice interaction option.