Porsche is updating how CarPlay works in its cars, adding climate controls and more

Porsche is releasing an iPhone app update that gives drivers a taste of what future CarPlay can look like — including new buttons for climate, interior lighting, and other controls.

The automaker’s My Porsche iOS app connects with the car after scanning a QR code inside the vehicle’s infotainment system, which is known as Porsche Communication Management or PCM. Upon connecting, third-party software (like Apple Music) in Porsche’s infotainment system can link accounts with the iPhone.

And for the company’s electric vehicles, the CarPlay interface will also be able to display the battery state of charge — which would go great with a recent Taycan software update that supports Apple Maps’ EV routing feature.

In its current form, CarPlay hasn’t reached its full potential. Apple is planning to make a version that can fully take over vehicles’ infotainment and cluster screens but has only gone as far as including Maps projection in Polestar vehicles. Meanwhile, Polestar, Ford, and many others are choosing to run Google’s Android Automotive platform underneath.

But Porsche’s CarPlay integration is showing a hint of what a total Apple in-car solution could look like. Quick actions like warming up the car within the CarPlay interface, as well as changing sound profiles, are examples of how Porsche seems to be embracing an Apple solution. Porsche has been a fan of Apple’s software in the past, including being an early adopter of CarPlay, and including Apple Podcasts as its native podcast app.

The new My Porsche app CarPlay experience is available now for owners of the new Porsche Cayenne but will be rolled out to other models as well. Don’t count on it working in your vintage Boxster, though.