In April 2025, Apple rolled out iOS 18.4, bringing not only fun new emojis and languages but also three major upgrades to Apple CarPlay. In fact, Tom’s Guide notes that iOS 18.4 “also brings three new enhancements for Apple CarPlay to streamline your driving experience” tomsguide.com. This means the latest Apple CarPlay update (2025) includes new CarPlay features designed to make driving safer and more convenient. The highlights are: an expanded app grid for big-screen cars, live sports score integration, and a new option (in the EU) to set your default navigation app. These CarPlay improvements in 2025 aim to give drivers more information at a glance with less fiddling on screen. In short, the Apple CarPlay upgrades in iOS 18.4 help you spend more time on the road and less time navigating menus macrumors.com9to5mac.com.
The importance of CarPlay updates cannot be overstated for iPhone and CarPlay users. Each update can improve usability or add useful data without compromising safety. For example, MacRumors calls the new third-row icon layout “a nice quality-of-life improvement” for CarPlay, because it lets drivers “quickly access more apps with less swiping” macrumors.com. By keeping CarPlay’s interface fresh and flexible, Apple helps drivers stay focused on driving while still getting the info they need. In this article we’ll dive deep into each of the three major iOS 18.4 CarPlay enhancements – what they do, why they matter, and how you’ll use them in the real world.
Expanded App Grid (Extra Row of Icons)
Why it matters
In iOS 18.4, CarPlay’s home screen can now show three rows of app icons when your car has a large display techrepublic.com. This may sound simple, but it makes a big difference: having more icons visible at once means you can tap what you need faster, without flipping through multiple pages. As Digital Trends explains, using a third row of icons is “a big deal for quicker and easier access to apps you want, while driving” digitaltrends.com. In practice, that means if you frequently switch between navigation, music, and podcasts, you’ll spend less time swiping the screen and more time on the road. By taking advantage of extra screen space, Apple has effectively reduced driver distraction.
How it works
Under the hood, CarPlay simply detects the size of your vehicle’s infotainment screen. If the display is large enough, iOS 18.4 automatically adds a third row of app icons on the CarPlay Home screen techrepublic.com. There’s no setting to toggle – Apple’s software figures out the optimal layout. For example, MacRumors reports that after updating to iOS 18.4, a Toyota Tundra’s 14-inch display began showing three rows of icons, whereas a Honda Civic’s 9-inch screen stayed at two rows macrumors.com. In other words, on spacious dashboards CarPlay will now pack extra shortcuts onto the screen, instead of simply making icons larger. This tweak leverages otherwise unused space: the additional row is filled with your apps, making the interface denser and more efficient macrumors.comtechrepublic.com.
Real-world example
Imagine you have a new car with a big center display. After installing iOS 18.4, you’ll notice that the CarPlay home shows one more row of icons. For instance, a MacRumors forum user noticed that on their Tundra’s huge screen, apps that used to be off-screen all became visible at a glance macrumors.com. If your vehicle has a smaller screen, you won’t see the change – those UIs stick to two rows as before. In practice, drivers with compatible cars can now access favorites (like Podcasts, Audiobooks, or a navigation app) right away. As one review puts it, showing more icons “allows drivers to quickly access more apps with less swiping between pages” macrumors.com. Overall, the extra icon row is a straightforward interface improvement that makes CarPlay easier to use while driving.
Live Sports Score Integration
Why it matters
CarPlay isn’t just about maps and music – for sports fans it can now be a little bit of a scoreboard. With iOS 18.4, sports apps can plug into CarPlay and display live scores on-screen. This matters because you can see how your team is doing without fumbling with your phone while driving. According to Digital Trends, the new sports app support lets you have “live sports scores … displayed alongside other apps like directions or music” on CarPlay digitaltrends.com. For example, if there’s a game on TV, CarPlay can quietly show the current score and teams’ logos on the dash. (Apple explicitly prevents video on CarPlay for safety, but showing a simple score update is now allowed.) In short, iOS 18.4’s sports integration gives drivers at-a-glance game updates without compromising attention on the road.
How it works
The magic happens via a new developer API in iOS 18.4. Apple has made it possible for sports apps to integrate with CarPlay so that the Now Playing section of the interface can show scores techrepublic.com9to5mac.com. Practically speaking, when you run an enabled sports app on your iPhone, it can push live score information to CarPlay. 9to5Mac explains that with iOS 18.4 “apps that show sports scores can integrate with CarPlay,” meaning they can send updates to the car’s display 9to5mac.com. Behind the scenes, CarPlay reserves a small area (often on the Now Playing view) where these apps can overlay scores. The integration is currently read-only (no video or interactive elements), but it means the app can update things like team names and scores on CarPlay. Note that developers must adopt this API; it’s not automatic.
Real-world example
As of iOS 18.4’s release, few mainstream apps have turned on CarPlay sports features yet. However, we can imagine how it will work: for instance, an app like ESPN or a local sports news app could use the new API. Once implemented, you might be able to say “Hey Siri, open [Sports App]” or simply have the app running, and CarPlay would show the score for the game you’re following. (Apple’s own News or Sports app might be updated to use this too – one commentator hopes “we get a CarPlay update for the Apple Sports app” in the future 9to5mac.com.) When it’s up and running, it means you won’t have to pause for a second to reach for your phone to check the score. The feature is still new and rolling out, but it’s a sign Apple is finding safe ways to deliver even niche content to drivers when it’s useful.
Default Navigation App (EU Only)
Why it matters
Until iOS 18.4, CarPlay always defaulted to Apple Maps when you said “take me to [destination]” – unless you manually opened another map app. Now, EU users have a new choice: if you prefer Google Maps, Waze or another navigation app, you can make that the default. This is a big deal for anyone who does not use Apple Maps. TechRepublic explains that iOS 18.4 lets EU users select “Google Maps or Waze” as their default navigation app techrepublic.com. Practically, this means you can tell Siri “drive to [address]” and it will automatically open your preferred map app instead of Apple Maps. CarPlay will seamlessly hand off navigation to the app you want. In effect, Apple is complying with EU regulations (the Digital Markets Act) to give more competition and choice in navigation. The result is more convenience – and for CarPlay drivers, one less step in their navigation routine.
How it works
Setting it up is straightforward, but only in the EU. On an EU iPhone running iOS 18.4, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Navigation and pick Google Maps, Waze, or whatever map you like macrumors.com. Once chosen, both your iPhone and CarPlay will use that app whenever you request directions. In other words, no more manually switching. 9to5Mac notes that iOS 18.4 brought “the ability to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps,” but only for EU users macrumors.com. (Apple made the change in response to EU rules.) Technically, CarPlay itself doesn’t need a new setting; it just follows the iPhone’s default. So when you say, for example, “Hey Siri, take me home,” CarPlay will open Google Maps or Waze on the car’s display if you set that as your default. Outside the EU, this setting is not available yet, so Apple Maps remains the primary option elsewhere.
Real-world example
Consider a driver in Germany who prefers Waze. On their iPhone (with iOS 18.4), they choose Waze as the default navigation app in Settings. Now, while on a road trip, saying “Hey Siri, get directions to Munich” will launch Waze directly on CarPlay with the route, instead of Apple Maps. This saves the driver from having to manually open Waze first. For EU drivers, this ties in nicely with voice control and CarPlay’s interface: your favorite navigation app just becomes integrated. (By comparison, a U.S. driver still has to open Google Maps manually, since iOS 18.4 only enables the default app picker in the EU macrumors.com.) In any case, this feature makes CarPlay more flexible for those who rely on third-party navigation.
Conclusion
The iOS 18.4 CarPlay features may seem like modest tweaks, but together they represent significant CarPlay improvements in 2025. The expanded icon grid, live sports scores, and EU default navigation all add up to a more useful, user-friendly CarPlay. Drivers with big displays will appreciate faster access to their apps digitaltrends.com, sports fans can stay updated in real time, and EU users gain freedom of choice digitaltrends.comtechrepublic.com. As one reviewer puts it, these changes are “welcome nonetheless,” making iOS 18.4 “a solid step down the right path” for improving CarPlay 9to5mac.com. In other words, Apple continues to refine the in-car experience with each update.
For iPhone and CarPlay users, that means every update is worth installing. iOS 18.4’s CarPlay enhancements help you spend less time touching the screen and more time focusing on the road. To take advantage of these new CarPlay upgrades iOS 18.4 provides, make sure your iPhone is updated. It’s easy: go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 18.4 macrumors.com. After updating, enjoy the expanded app grid, sports scores, and (if you’re in the EU) your preferred navigation app. These upgrades make driving with Apple CarPlay better than ever – so plug in, update, and hit the road with the latest CarPlay experience.
FAQ
- Q: When will iOS 18.4 be released? A: iOS 18.4 was released in early April 2025 macrumors.com. Apple began rolling out the update worldwide at that time. You should see it available now if your iPhone is compatible.
- Q: How do I install iOS 18.4 on my iPhone? A: To update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, go to General → Software Update, and choose Download and Install. Apple’s update screen will show iOS 18.4 if it’s available for your device macrumors.com.
- Q: Which iPhone models support the new iOS 18.4 CarPlay features? A: iOS 18.4 is compatible with iPhone XR and newer. In other words, any iPhone XS, XR, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16 series can run iOS 18.4 support.apple.com support.apple.com. If your iPhone is on that list, you’ll get all the latest CarPlay upgrades.
- Q: Can I set Google Maps (or Waze) as my default navigation app? A: Yes, but only if you’re in the European Union. On EU iPhones with iOS 18.4, you can go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Navigation and pick Google Maps, Waze, etc. macrumors.com. Outside the EU, Apple Maps remains the default and this option isn’t available.
- Q: Were any CarPlay bugs fixed in iOS 18.4?
A: Apple addressed a rare wireless CarPlay issue in version 18.4 and especially in the follow-up iOS 18.4.1. The official release notes say iOS 18.4.1 “addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles” support.apple.com. So if you had trouble with wireless CarPlay dropping out, update to the latest iOS (18.4.1 or later) to get the fix.
These are the key points about the new CarPlay features iOS 18.4 brings. Now that you know what’s new and exciting, go ahead and update to iOS 18.4 to experience them for yourself! macrumors.com.