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iOS 26.4 Lays Groundwork for CarPlay Video, Including Apple TV

Back at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that it was planning to allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles while they are not driving, and the first beta of iOS 26.4 suggests the feature may be nearing availability.

Apple CarPlay iOS 26 Tight Crop
The original mention of the feature appeared on Apple's CarPlay page for developers within a section specific to automakers, indicating that CarPlay with AirPlay video is something automakers will need to implement with on their end. Presumably, this is because there needs to be integration with vehicle systems to ensure that the feature can only be used while the vehicle is parked so as to hinder the potential for distracted driving.

The first iOS 26.4 beta seeded to developers today includes a number of new references to ‌CarPlay‌ video playback, including features like onboarding flows, notifications, and more.

Unsurprisingly, it appears that Apple TV will likely support the ‌CarPlay‌ video feature when it launches, as there are additional references to interacting with the TV app while using ‌CarPlay‌, such as a message that would pop up informing users that they will need to subscribe to ‌Apple TV‌ on their iPhone while not driving if they attempt to access subscription content.

While the new code in iOS 26.4 provides evidence that Apple is moving toward launching the feature, there are no guarantees that it will ultimately become available with the public release of the update, as Apple sometimes removes code found in early betas or continues building on it in subsequent updates before the features go live. And with car manufacturers needing to add support for it on their end, it's unclear how quickly ‌CarPlay‌ video will roll out across various makes and models once the feature does launch.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, CarPlay, iOS 26, iPadOS 26
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Top Rated Comments

capamac Avatar
6 weeks ago
Ideal car dashboard IMO:



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Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GuruZac Avatar
6 weeks ago
Why does Apple do this to themselves? They need to stop showing features that are substantially delayed, not ready, or never make it market. It's become ridiculous lately.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McWetty Avatar
6 weeks ago
I feel like there are so many better uses of software engineers’ time than this.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6 weeks ago

Use cases seem pretty niche.
There's definitely a use case for this - I've seen it on EVs when they stop for a charge - the owner watches something on the car's screen. (Tesla, perhaps).
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSalameee Avatar
6 weeks ago
Not a feature I’m dying to have but I can definitely see a use when my family is road tripping and we stop for a bit and my kids can watch something while we wait for food or something. Niche but could be useful.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arran Avatar
6 weeks ago
Use cases seem pretty niche.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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