In summary:
- Macworld reports that iOS 26.4 beta code reveals Apple is developing video playback capabilities for CarPlay, including Apple TV access.
- This feature was originally announced with iOS 26 but requires automaker integration before becoming available to users.
- Safety measures are built into the code, with strings indicating video content will only be accessible when vehicles are stationary.
Code references in the latest version of iOS point to what might sound like a surprising new feature in CarPlay: the ability to play movies and TV shows in your car.
iOS 26.4, which has just launched in beta form, contains two giveaway strings, both of which mention an important safety measure. “When you’re not driving,” reads the first, “open Apple TV on iPhone and review the privacy information.” While the second reads: “When you’re not driving, sign in to Apple TV on iPhone.”
These code strings were spotted by the MacRumors analyst Aaron Perris, who posted his discovery to Twitter/X. The Apple news site 9to5Mac further spotted five references that contain the words “CarPlayVideoPlayback,” juxtaposed with terms such as “ClimateControls” and “Notifications.”
It’s worth noting that while these snippets point to the feature approaching launch, the concept is not a total surprise. “Video in the car” was originally announced as part of the iOS 26 update last year, and is still mentioned in the CarPlay section of Apple’s developer site.
“AirPlay video in the car enables people to watch their favorite videos from iPhone right on their CarPlay display when they aren’t driving,” the page explains. “Integrate support for CarPlay with AirPlay video to enable this feature in your car.”
That’s the key: it was left up to automakers to authorise and integrate the feature. And up to now, no automaker has chosen to do that, or announced that it intends to do so in the future. But this latest discovery hints that progress is finally being made.
Author: David Price, Editor, Macworld
David has been writing about technology for well over two decades, and got on board the Apple hype train when covering the original iPhone launch in 2007. He is an enthusiastic Apple Watch evangelist and feels that the HomePod is misunderstood.