The latest Apple CarPlay update looks good, but it could become a major problem

Apple didn’t announce any CarPlay upgrades at WWDC this month, mainly because the company is working around the clock to prepare the next-generation experience expected in 2024, but that doesn’t mean the iPhone maker isn’t preparing more subtle improvements to the release existing.

iOS 18’s beta debut gives us an early look at what’s to come for CarPlay users this year, and one of the latest revelations could raise serious security concerns.

If you’ve used Android Auto and CarPlay, you probably know their role is to reduce distractions behind the wheel, allowing the driver to focus on the road and interact with their apps hands-free. Digital assistants are responsible for powering this hands-free experience, and drivers can voice their requests while the assistants process them and respond accordingly.

Users have discovered that the iOS 18 beta comes with fixes for interaction with Siri, as certain commands can also trigger on-screen responses.

Siri no longer speaks weather and sports requests. A screenshot recently shared on Reddit shows the digital assistant displaying the familiar weather widget at the top of the CarPlay interface when the user searches for weather information.

There are two main problems with this silent update. First, the weather widget eats up valuable screen space, covering the map or whatever app is running on the screen when you ask Siri to tell you the weather conditions. The banner is massive, which makes sense, given that the driver should be able to read the information easily, but I’d rather have it all speak instead of covering up the navigation app.

Second, this feature requires the driver to look at the screen, which is a big no-no if the vehicle is in motion. Apple should restrict this feature when the car is parked and only allow spoken responses when driving. The purpose of Siri is to reduce distractions behind the wheel, and enabling this feature while the car is in motion does exactly the opposite.

However, everyone should remember that iOS 18 is still in the early stages of testing and only developers are allowed to try it out at the moment. Apple will continue to improve the experience with everything new in iOS 18 until September, when this major operating system update is expected to start rolling out to production iPhones.

Apple seems to be looking for ways to improve the Siri experience on all fronts, including CarPlay, but hands-free interaction behind the wheel shouldn’t include features that make drivers take their eyes off the road.

If you’re already on iOS 18 developer builds and want to try out the new design, you can simply ask Siri to tell you the weather. The new feature also works for sports scores.