Apple making major CarPlay U-turn to lift popular feature ban

CarPlay users have long requested a particular feature enjoyed by Tesla owners and recently approved by Google for Android Auto.

However, we recently learned that there was a ban in place to prevent it happening on Apple's in-car systems.

We basically wanted the ability to watch videos on our CarPlay-powered in-car systems – while parked, of course – but Apple had a block on apps offering it.

That was discovered by the developer of Sidecar, which added the ability to view video content via web browsing to its automotive assistant app. The feature allowed CarPlay users to watch shows on Netflix, Prime Video and other streaming services, but was soon removed again after it was revealed to have breached Apple policies.

Now it seems the Cupertino tech giant has had a change of heart.

It'll finally allow video to be shown on an in-car display running CarPlay when iOS 26 arrives later this year (most likely September).

Video streaming coming to CarPlay at last!

The confirmation was discovered on Apple's own developer site for CarPlay. It reveals that while dedicated apps for the likes of Netflix and Disney+ will still be restricted, users will be able to stream videos to their displays via AirPlay.

The new option is listed under "additional capabilities" being added to CarPlay:

"AirPlay video in the car enables people to watch their favorite videos from iPhone right on their CarPlay display when they aren’t driving.," it states.

It effectively enables car manufacturers to finally catch up with the likes of Tesla in offering the service. Admittedly, you'll still need to start a video on your iPhone and send it to the display, but it's a start. And at least that means you should be able to use third-party streaming apps too.

The one sticking point is that car makers will have to "integrate support for CarPlay with AirPlay video to enable this feature", so you might still have to wait for your own manufacturer to implement it.

Some might also have their own policies in place that will prevent it. At least Apple is finally lifting its ban though, that's the main thing.