Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Apple continues to refine the experience with CarPlay, and despite the company not making any big announcements and focusing mostly on the new-generation experience, it's still showing some love to its existing version.
CarPlay will get subtle refinements in the next major iPhone update, and one of the most recently spotted is support for hiding more first-party apps.
Starting in iOS 18, users will be allowed to remove the Phone and Messages app from CarPlay – you can find the options in Settings > General > CarPlay > Customize. You can click on the remove icon next to the Phone and Messages app to hide them from CarPlay.
One of the most common requests in the CarPlay world was the support for blocking calls and messages when running the app in a car. This is because not everybody wants their calls and messages routed to the vehicle, so some users would rather stick with apps like Google Maps and Waze on CarPlay and have messages and calls available on their phones.
This could also be a matter of privacy, as not having everything on the vehicle's screen prevents certain data, such as who's calling you, from being exposed.
However, this change coming in iOS 18 doesn't resolve the full problem, and it's living proof that Apple still likes doing things in its own way. The company will allow users to hide the apps from CarPlay, but the calls and messages will still go through and appear on CarPlay. This means that when you use CarPlay, you won't see the Phone and Messages app icons in the app drawer or the dock, but if someone calls you or sends you a message, you'll see the notifications on the screen. You'll be allowed to answer calls and reply to messages using Siri, which you can already do today.
However, hiding the two apps has one big benefit. It will prevent users from revealing certain data to other vehicle passengers – imagine you're driving an Uber and you accidentally open the Phone app – your contacts and phone numbers could be exposed to others. Furthermore, if you travel with someone else on the front seat, they can always tap the Phone app to access your contacts, so with this option, the two apps are hidden and no longer available from the CarPlay UI.
The change is currently available in the latest iOS 18 beta builds, and it should make its way to everybody with the release of the production operating system version in the fall. If everything goes as planned, the rollout should start in September, but we'll hear more about it in the fall during Apple's hardware event when a new-generation iPhone is also projected to see daylight with iOS 18 pre-loaded.
Starting in iOS 18, users will be allowed to remove the Phone and Messages app from CarPlay – you can find the options in Settings > General > CarPlay > Customize. You can click on the remove icon next to the Phone and Messages app to hide them from CarPlay.
One of the most common requests in the CarPlay world was the support for blocking calls and messages when running the app in a car. This is because not everybody wants their calls and messages routed to the vehicle, so some users would rather stick with apps like Google Maps and Waze on CarPlay and have messages and calls available on their phones.
This could also be a matter of privacy, as not having everything on the vehicle's screen prevents certain data, such as who's calling you, from being exposed.
However, this change coming in iOS 18 doesn't resolve the full problem, and it's living proof that Apple still likes doing things in its own way. The company will allow users to hide the apps from CarPlay, but the calls and messages will still go through and appear on CarPlay. This means that when you use CarPlay, you won't see the Phone and Messages app icons in the app drawer or the dock, but if someone calls you or sends you a message, you'll see the notifications on the screen. You'll be allowed to answer calls and reply to messages using Siri, which you can already do today.
However, hiding the two apps has one big benefit. It will prevent users from revealing certain data to other vehicle passengers – imagine you're driving an Uber and you accidentally open the Phone app – your contacts and phone numbers could be exposed to others. Furthermore, if you travel with someone else on the front seat, they can always tap the Phone app to access your contacts, so with this option, the two apps are hidden and no longer available from the CarPlay UI.
The change is currently available in the latest iOS 18 beta builds, and it should make its way to everybody with the release of the production operating system version in the fall. If everything goes as planned, the rollout should start in September, but we'll hear more about it in the fall during Apple's hardware event when a new-generation iPhone is also projected to see daylight with iOS 18 pre-loaded.
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