CarPlay in iOS 18.4 reimagines the Now Playing interface for sports apps
Apple’s CarPlay feature in iOS 18.4 includes a new API for sports apps, which splits the Now Playing screen to display scores for each side.
CarPlay, an iPhone feature that puts iOS in the car, will soon gain support for sports apps via a new Sports Mode, which optimizes the design of the Now Playing screen to sporting events. It provides game updates alongside navigation or music by displaying information about each team on the left and right sides of the screen.
“The sports mode represents a layout for now playing suited to live-streaming or recorded playback of a sporting event that features exactly two teams,” reads Apple’s description of the new API, named “CPNowPlayingModeSports.” The API is included in iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, which will be released to the public in April.
iOS 18.4 brings a new CarPlay API for sports apps
Like with all APIs, third-party apps will need to specifically choose to implement the CPNowPlayingModeSports API to play nice with CarPlay. When it comes to tracking real-time action on the go, safety comes first. That’s why Apple mandates that sports apps behave in a particular manner on CarPlay.
Apple explains that sports mode is essentially a live scoreboard tailored to your dashboard. It transforms the Now Playing screen with “a large colorful image for the background.” Apple also suggests that “a gradient or crossfade image works best, especially when it includes the primary colors of each team.”
iOS 18.4 will also bring a third row of icons to CarPlay, up from two, to reduce swiping and keep more apps within reach while driving. The third row only appears in cars equipped with larger displays. CarPlay in iOS 18.4 also considers Tesla NACS compatibility when using Apple Maps EV routing. This will be useful for vehicles like Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, which used to be routed only to CCS chargers even though they can charge at Tesla’s NACS stations with adapters.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/03/27/apple-ios-18-4-api-carplay-sports-apps-now-playing-split-screen/
Leave a Reply