Apple is preparing to open CarPlay to third‑party, voice‑controlled AI chatbots, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. That would let drivers speak with services such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini directly through a vehicle’s CarPlay interface — though not as a replacement for Siri.
What’s changing
Under the reported plan, developers of large language model chatbots will be able to build CarPlay experiences that launch a voice‑first chat mode when their app is opened. In practice that means you’ll be able to open your preferred chatbot app on the car’s display and talk to it hands‑free, rather than being limited to Siri’s existing command set. Apple, however, is keeping some guardrails: third‑party apps won’t be able to take over vehicle or iPhone functions, and they won’t replace the Siri wake‑word or button on CarPlay. In short — extra chat companions, not a new system controller.
Bloomberg’s reporting suggests the feature could arrive “within the coming months,” a timing that lines up with a broader upgrade to Siri in iOS 26.4 and a later expansion in iOS 27 that gives the assistant fuller chatbot capabilities.
Why this matters (and why Apple is careful)
Drivers have asked for richer conversational assistants for tasks that go beyond navigation or music — things like multi‑step planning, contextual follow‑ups and live restaurant or location suggestions. Letting third‑party chatbots into the car would answer that demand and give users choice between different LLM providers.
But CarPlay sits at the intersection of convenience and safety. Apple’s constraints — no wake‑word replacement, no direct control of car systems — look aimed at limiting distraction and reducing exposure to risky commands. The company also appears to be giving developers a narrow runway to design voice‑first experiences rather than free‑form visual interfaces that could tempt drivers to look away from the road.
That cautious approach also reflects broader shifts in Apple’s AI strategy. The company is already working with Google on a custom Gemini model to bolster Siri’s capabilities, an arrangement that will add powerful LLM-backed features to the assistant on iPhone, iPad and Mac. This plan helps explain why Apple might allow other LLMs in CarPlay: it can expand user choice while continuing to invest in Siri’s upgraded, Gemini‑informed core (see Apple’s plan to use a custom Gemini model to power Siri) [(/news/apple-google-gemini-siri)].
Practical limits and likely user experience
According to the reports, you’ll have to open a chatbot app manually — there won’t be a universal wake word that swaps out Siri. Developers can set apps to immediately enter voice mode when launched, which should keep interactions quick and minimize screen time. Importantly, Apple is expected to forbid chatbots from controlling things like climate, windows or iPhone system settings, keeping vehicle command authority with the OEM and Siri.
Navigation remains a natural place for conversational AI, especially as mapping applications themselves embrace LLMs. Google already experiments with Gemini‑powered, conversational navigation in Google Maps; pairing that kind of capability with CarPlay could make asking for a detour or an on‑the‑fly recommendation feel more natural [(/news/google-maps-gemini-ai-copilot)].
Concerns: distraction, privacy and data flow
Safety advocates and some drivers will push back. Voice interactions reduce eye contact with a screen, but long conversational sessions — asking for summaries, composing messages, or exploring complex topics — still pose attention risks. Automakers and regulators will likely scrutinize how these apps behave while the vehicle is moving.
Privacy is another loose end. CarPlay projects smartphone apps into in‑car displays and routes voice input to servers run by chatbot providers. That raises questions about what data leaves the car, how long it’s stored, and how it’s used for model training. Apple’s existing App Store privacy rules and in‑car restrictions will matter here, but individual chatbot makers also have their own policies.
Where this fits in the ecosystem
Apple’s move would bring parity with a trend already visible across other platforms and OEMs — consumers expect conversational AI, and companies are racing to provide it in contexts beyond phones. Some automakers have already integrated third‑party voice assistants or allowed apps that surface LLM responses; CarPlay’s user base makes Apple’s decision noteworthy because it could quickly scale usage across many brands and models.
At the same time, Apple is not ceding the field. The company is layering LLM tech into Siri itself and gradually converting the assistant from a command engine to a conversational agent, which means drivers might soon have a capable, built‑in alternative to external chatbots.
Apple hasn’t made an official announcement. The reported timeline — “within the coming months” — suggests we may see developer documentation or OS updates soon. Expect automakers, app developers and safety regulators to watch how those technical and policy choices land once Apple opens CarPlay’s microphone to broader AI.
One practical question remains: will drivers welcome another voice in the cockpit, or will they treat it like another tempting distraction? The answer will shape not only how these features are built, but how people use them behind the wheel.