CarPlay has been around for so long that it’s rare to see brand new apps debut from big-name companies. The most noteworthy CarPlay apps have typically been on the platform for years already. But this week, CarPlay got two brand new apps that are big iPhone hits: ChatGPT and Google Meet.
ChatGPT and Google Meet available now in Apple’s CarPlay
It’s an exciting time for CarPlay.
Last spring CarPlay Ultra finally launched, followed by some big iOS 26 changes to standard CarPlay. And just last week, iOS 26.4 brought more new features and a preview of one more coming.
I’m also very eager to see what iOS 27 will enable Siri to do. The car is one of the best places for hands-free computing, so Siri’s AI upgrades have a lot of potential for CarPlay.
But beyond CarPlay improvements from Apple, this week also brought the arrival of two significant third-party apps:
ChatGPT is the first AI chatbot app to arrive on CarPlay since iOS 26.4 unlocked support for conversational voice apps. It provides a voice-only interface for interacting with OpenAI’s assistant while on the go, with appropriate safety restrictions.
Google Meet enables participating in Meet calls through the CarPlay interface. The app lets you “join meetings with a single tap, view your upcoming schedule, and participate in audio-only calls to maintain focus on driving.”
Both apps are consistently some of the most downloaded iPhone apps.
Currently in the US, ChatGPT is #1 on the App Store’s top charts for free apps. Google Meet is #43 on the top charts—ahead of popular apps like YouTube (#46), Airbnb (#48), and Venmo (#51).
The debut of each CarPlay app hopefully points to a growing interest from third-party developers in supporting CarPlay. We’re seeing that already with the revamped WhatsApp CarPlay app in testing.
Until last year, CarPlay’s development inside Apple seemed stagnant. But now that Apple is actively improving CarPlay all the time, it’s great to see third-party apps put more focus on CarPlay too.
Have you used the ChatGPT or Google Meet CarPlay apps yet? How have they worked for you? Let us know in the comments.
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