If there's one feature everyone wanted to see in CarPlay, it's video playback. Of course, watching videos while driving isn't safe. While parked, though, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to use your vehicle's big screen to watch movies and shows.
Thankfully, according to Apple's developer website for CarPlay (via 9To5Mac), the company is relenting. It'll offer AirPlay video through CarPlay when not driving as part of iOS 26, which sounds like something iOS users have longed for since Apple's phone operating system was first announced.
The first significant catch is that the vehicle must be in park for the feature to work. That makes sense, as Apple wouldn't want to encourage drivers to watch videos while driving. It's a catch for sure, but it's also one we fully expected to roll out with the feature.
How long until someone figures out a way around this limitation through nefarious means remains to be seen, but it'll probably happen.
Car makers need to opt in
There's another big catch. Each automaker will control whether its vehicle supports the video feature.
"AirPlay video in the car enables people to watch their favorite videos from iPhone right on their CarPlay display when they aren’t driving. Integrate support for CarPlay with AirPlay video to enable this feature in your car," reads the description on Apple's website.
So, for example, if Hyundai decides it doesn't want the AirPlay video enabled, then there's nothing an owner can do to get around that.
Still, the new icons and addition of CarPlay video support are exciting for people who rely on Apple's car interface. There's also CarPlay Ultra coming, which will be built directly into cars and let you monitor all of the key gauges, as well as control the climate and radio.
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