2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 4, 2026 09:55 AM IST
AI chatbots are actively making their way to more and more devices, and now, OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT is now available on Apple CarPlay. Recently, Apple rolled out the iOS 26.4 update, which enables support for voice-based AI apps on CarPlay. Fast forward a few days, and OpenAI has now updated the ChatGPT app for iPhone to take advantage of the update.
However, there are still a bunch of limitations for ChatGPT on CarPlay. This is because Apple usually limits the number of apps allowed on CarPlay for safety reasons, and the tech giant requires app developers to stick to its provided template for CarPlay support.
Unlike the phone and desktop versions of ChatGPT, the CarPlay version can only be used via voice and does not display any text-based output. Similar to ChatGPT Voice and Gemini Live, the app allows users to talk to the AI chatbot in natural language and features an “End” button in the upper-left corner, alongside a mute and unmute option in the top-right corner.
Here’s what ChatGPT on Apple CarPlay looks like. (Image Source: 9to5Mac)
If you have updated your iPhone to iOS 26.4, CarPlay will show a dedicated ChatGPT app pop-up on your screen. The app will also show users their past conversations with the chatbot, but, as we said before, it won’t display the full transcript or written replies.
The app is quite barebones but pretty useful as drivers will be able to naturally interact with the chatbot, but there is no wake word, meaning you will have to manually launch ChatGPT. Also, ChatGPT on CarPlay currently cannot make any changes to the car’s settings.
As of now, ChatGPT is the first AI chatbot available on CarPlay, but it won’t be surprising if Gemini, Claude and other platforms make an appearance in the near future.
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