Porsche's CarPlay Commitment

author: FutureCar Staff    

Porsche is taking a different approach than GM, Tesla, and Rivian when it comes to CarPlay. While those companies are abandoning CarPlay, Porsche is expanding its focus on it. In a recent interview with ArsTechnica, Cyril Dorsaz, Porsche Digital's principal product manager, explained why the company believes CarPlay is the future. Porsche has integrated climate controls, lighting, and more into the CarPlay experience through its My Porsche app.

Dorsaz revealed that the decision to integrate these features into CarPlay was driven by customer research. Porsche learned that customers were not happy with having to switch back and forth between different interfaces to control various features. By integrating these controls into CarPlay, Porsche aims to provide a more seamless and convenient user experience.

During the development process of the My Porsche app, the company even made conscious decisions about the font to use. They opted for the San Francisco font, which is commonly used in other apps in the Apple ecosystem, to maintain a familiar user interface.

Porsche's goal is to create a consistent user experience across different devices. By leveraging the familiarity of Apple's UI, which is already popular among iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users, Porsche aims to make the transition from using Apple devices to the in-car experience as smooth as possible.

However, one limitation of the new My Porsche app for CarPlay is that it is only supported on the 2024 Porsche Cayenne. There is no decision yet on whether older models will receive support. Additionally, Android Auto users may not have a similar experience as Porsche cites the lack of an equivalent automaker toolkit and the lower incidence of Android use among its customers.

Porsche's approach stands in contrast to GM, Tesla, and Rivian, who are prioritizing complete control over the in-car experience. GM, in particular, has faced criticism from iPhone users who are unhappy with its decision to abandon CarPlay. It remains to be seen if GM will reconsider its decision in response to customer feedback.

Ford has also expressed support for CarPlay in light of GM's decision. However, one thing that is still awaited is the next-generation CarPlay platform, which Apple announced at WWDC 2022. Apple has promised that the first cars with the new CarPlay will be announced by the end of this year.

FutureCar Staff