New CarPlay Sports API in iOS 18.4 Enhances In-Car Entertainment for Live Events

iOS 18.4 Brings New Sports API for CarPlay and Other Enhancements

Apple has released the Release Candidate (RC) build of iOS 18.4 to developers and beta testers, introducing several new features alongside the much-anticipated Priority Notifications and Visual Intelligence expansions. A notable addition is a new CarPlay API specifically designed for sports apps.

New Sports API in CarPlay

• API Name: CPNowPlayingModeSports
• Description: This API allows sports apps to display information about live or recorded sporting events with exactly two teams on the Now Playing screen in CarPlay. The layout features team details on the left and right sides, with a large colorful background image.
• Requirements: This API is available for developers using Xcode 16.3 RC or later and requires iOS 18.4 on the user's iPhone.

Additional CarPlay Enhancements

• Third Row of Icons: For cars with larger displays, a third row of icons has been added to improve visibility and usability.
• Apple Maps EV Routing: Apple Maps now includes information about Tesla NACS charging stations for electric vehicle (EV) routing.

Other Features in iOS 18.4

• Priority Notifications: Enhanced notification handling.
• Visual Intelligence Expansion: Improved visual recognition capabilities.
• Control Center Improvements: Better control center functionality.
• New Emoji: Seven new emoji characters added to the system.

Availability

• Public Release: iOS 18.4 is expected to be released to the public in early April 2023.