Videos in CarPlay: Apple takes action against a third app

It was either a PR stunt or a test of how far you can go at Apple: A developer from the USA offered a briefly a car play app with which users could use a web browser and a video player on the screen of a car via Apple’s car interface. Shortly after becoming known, however, Apple intervened and asked the developer to collect the function again.

Actually, the Fearless Design company, which was actually afraid of the matter, specializes in reading and displaying diagnostic data of a car with her app. This data is read out of the vehicle by means of an OBD adapter to be purchased and, according to the app description, serve to display information on the technical condition of the vehicle and past trips.

Smuggled past the app review

On Sunday, the developer now surprised with a new function with which there was the possibility of displaying websites and videos on parked cars. Apple does not hold both functions itself and does not provide them in the approved programming interfaces and app categories for CarPlay apps.

How the developer managed to get by with the function of the strict app review remains puzzling. After all, the function was also linked to a new in-app purchase of $ 10 to unlock it. This option was also activated by the app examiners. In the meantime, however, Apple has improved: According to the developer, he received a direct request from Apple to remove the function because it does not correspond to the app store guidelines. This request has now been followed and the in-app purchases made are reimbursed to reports the 9to5mac page.

Hardware remains an alternative

Apple apparently limits the CarPlay interface for security reasons and to avoid distraction of the drivers to a few categories. This includes apps for navigation, podcasts, audio books, weather, news, music, food, the charging of electric cars and communication apps. However, the latter also offer only restricted options for viewing – in order to drive free of distraction, messages are read out instead.

If you still want to use your car display for videos and carplay, you will find some devices on the accessory market that should enable this with the help of Android Auto and CarPlay. A few weeks before the WWDC developer conference in June, it can be seen that Apple itself apparently has no ambitions to change something at the current spell of such functions.