By David Nield

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We might soon see more voice-enabled AI bots on CarPlay (Image credit: Apple)

• Apple could allow more AI on the CarPlay dashboard
• This is a rumor outlined in a new Bloomberg report
• Apps such as ChatGPT and Gemini might show up

Apple CarPlay has traditionally been quite restrictive when it comes to the types of apps it allows on your vehicle dashboard, but it seems that third-party chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini might soon be able to claim spots on the CarPlay interface.

This is according to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who usually knows what he's talking about when it comes to Apple's future and as-yet-unannounced plans. Support should arrive in the "coming months", the report says.

According to people familiar with the matter, Siri won't be replaced as the default voice-activated assistant on CarPlay. However, users will be able to launch and access voice-enabled alternatives from their CarPlay dashboard, if they want to.

It's not clear exactly when we'll see this: more iOS 26 updates are due soon, while iOS 27 is due to be unveiled around June time (when Apple has its regular Worldwide Developers Conference), but Gurman doesn't give a specific timeframe for the roll out.

More intelligence on Apple devices

ChatGPT is currently integrated in Siri (Image credit: Apple)

If this does come to pass, it's another concession from Apple when it comes to AI. We know that the long-planned, next-gen upgrade for Siri has been delayed until sometime this year, while competitors like Google and OpenAI have pushed on with their chatbots.

Siri was enhanced with ChatGPT smarts in iOS 18, providing true generative AI capabilities – based on Large Language Models or LLMs – to Apple devices. This integration remains in place today while Apple works on upgrades for its own Apple Intelligence.

Earlier this year Apple announced a major partnership with Google to have Google's AI models power the next generation of Siri, which should appear with iOS 27 at some point. However, this will be more of a behind the scenes integration than the ChatGPT one.

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These deals are separate to what Apple seems to be planning with CarPlay, but it's another sign of Apple being prepared to open up its platforms to other AI chatbots – at least for now (of course it helps to avoid scrutiny from regulators too).

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TOPICS

AppleAI

David Nield

Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.