When Apple announced that iOS 12 would enable Apple CarPlay to work with third-party navigation apps, including Google Maps, all we could repeatedly ask was 'Are we there yet?' Starting today, we are there: you no longer have to rely solely on the often-wayward Apple Maps, as the newly launched iOS 12 update and a fresh Google Maps update bring the directions app to CarPlay-equipped cars. All of this works from your phone. You'll need to download iOS 12 to your iPhone and go to the App Store in order to update to Google Maps 5.0. Warning: you won't be able to use Siri with Google Maps on CarPlay, according to 9to5Mac, but there is a built-in Google voice search. Google Maps won't be alone for long, either. Waze, the other popular Google-owned mapping software, will also be receiving an app update to work with CarPlay. Google Maps just happens to be the first one out of the gate. Why this is great news Google Maps 5.0 with Apple CarPlay support is a big deal for a variety of reasons, at least as far as we can see it. First and foremost, it's reliable. It's the mapping software we use everyday. Sure, Apple Maps has improved a bunch since it first launched in 2012, we can't deny that. But that was a low bar and we still find ourselves using Google Maps as our default navigation software. Google has refined its software for years – with all of our data. Second, because we use Google Maps so much, we have all of our saved locations, pins, and home and work addresses saved to our Google account. You may be in the same boat – or car. Our Apple Maps custom points of interest are sparse in comparison. Google Maps is also easy to use on a computer via the web as well as on a phone via Google's app. That's why we save everything to it. It's versatile. Apple Maps on a computer is strictly tied to a pre-loaded Mac app (remember that?). It's not something we open very often, hence the lack of points of interest. This makes the CarPlay experience infinity familiar and useful, and overall, it's nice to see Apple becoming more receptive to opening up its software ecosystem.<doc-sep>Get your iPhones and iPads ready. iOS 12 is now officially available. The latest update to the software that powers Apple's iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch was released Monday, just like Apple promised at its recent event last week. The new update, available as a free download for most recent iPhones and iPads and the 6th generation iPod Touch, stresses performance improvements as well as new features to curb rising smartphone addiction, updates to CarPlay (including support for using apps such as Google Maps and Waze) and camera effects when video chatting in FaceTime and sending photos and videos in iMessage. More:With iOS 12 coming, who needs a new iPhone? The list of iPhones and iPads that will see the new update is fairly extensive, dating back to 2013's iPhone 5s and iPad Air. Chances are that if you're currently using an iPhone or iPad, it will likely be able to get the update. The full list of iPhones for iOS 12: iPhone 5s, SE, 6, 6 Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and X. The soon to be released iPhone XS, XS Max and October's iPhone XR will also run iOS 12. For iPads, the full list of supported tablets includes the iPad mini 2, mini 3 and mini 4; iPad Air and Air 2; iPad 5th generation (2017) and 6th generation (2018); 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation and 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation. To install the update, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update on your iOS device to download. Is the update worth it? We tested a beta version on an older iPhone 6 and found that it did, indeed, speed up the phone, albeit sometimes only slightly. But as a free update, it certainly is worth a shot before you decide to spend hundreds of dollars upgrading to a new device. Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal<doc-sep>Mazda today detailed long-awaited availability of its first vehicle with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the United States. Starting in September, existing owners of the 2018 Mazda6, excluding the Sport base model, will be able to book an appointment with a Mazda dealership to have CarPlay and Android Auto installed at no extra cost. Mazda says the hardware and software updates take approximately two hours to be completed. The upgraded Mazda6 models will also receive a faster-charging 2.1-amp USB port, and the latest software version of MAZDA CONNECT. Then, starting in November, CarPlay and Android Auto will be preinstalled as original equipment in brand new 2018 Mazda6 vehicles, excluding the Sport model, at Mazda dealerships across the United States. CarPlay will enable iPhone users to access a range of apps from the MAZDA CONNECT infotainment system, such as Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, Pandora, WhatsApp, Downcast, Slacker Radio, Stitcher, and, starting with iOS 12, Google Maps and Waze. Back in March, on its Canadian website, Mazda said CarPlay and Android Auto will first be offered in the 2019 CX‑9, and then rolled out across the entire model lineup thereafter. Mazda also said the platforms will be available as a genuine retrofit for MAZDA CONNECT systems starting this fall. Mazda also announced the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support to its vehicle line-up. In Canada, these mobile device connectivity technologies will first be offered in the 2019 CX‑9 launching this summer, and then rolled out across the entire model line-up thereafter. In addition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be available as a Genuine Mazda Accessory retrofit for MAZDA CONNECT systems starting this fall. The press release suggests that Mazda vehicles released as early as 2014 could eventually support CarPlay and Android Auto, but it's unclear if the backwards compatibility will extend to the United States. Mazda is one of the last major automakers in the United States to offer CarPlay, around six months after Toyota and Lexus announced support. Update: Here's a video walkthrough of CarPlay in the 2018 Mazda6. Thanks, Eli.<doc-sep>Google Maps is the American tech giant's solution to navigation When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks Google Maps is the American tech giant's solution to navigation and is used by over a billion people across the globe. The software is not only incredibly handy but very accessible too. That's because it is available on desktops, smartphones and tablets, meaning it can be used anywhere. And Google has consistently rolled out updates for Maps that have ranged from drastic changes to more subtle tweaks.<doc-sep>
Google's Waze is preparing for Apple's public release of iOS 12 and CarPlay's support for third-party navigational apps, by allowing participants in its private beta program early access to the service via Apple's automotive platform. Beta testers using iOS received a notification on Friday that an update to the Waze app would be available on TestFlight in the near future. Identified as "RC v.4.43.4.0" in a message posted to Twitter by Chris Harper, the version seems to be a release candidate, but it is unknown when it will formally launch to all users. Arriving as part of iOS 12, which was recently confirmed to ship on September 17, the update to CarPlay will enable third-party apps that provide navigational assistance to function through the vehicle's infotainment system. The support effectively provides the same features found on the iPhone and iPad versions, but projected onto the infotainment unit's display, with the third-party tools able to offer features that Apple Maps does not. Yay waze about to be on CarPlay! This makes my day! @waze @Apple pic.twitter.com/CmKLIaksMz — Chris Harper (@ChrisHarper27) September 14, 2018 In Apple's announcement of CarPlay's third-party navigation support at WWDC in June, the image of the CarPlay dash interface featured three apps, with Waze and Google Maps being the most well-known of the trio. Unlike Waze, there is no word on when Google Maps for iOS will include iOS support, but it is possible for the popular service to issue an app update soon after iOS 12's launch to enable it. For Waze, the confirmation of a release candidate beta on TestFlight is a good sign that it will arrive in the near future, though again there is no indication for when it will be. Along with enabling other navigational services in CarPlay, Apple is also replacing its externally-sourced mapping data with its own in-house data for Maps. The new data was originally limited to users in the Bay area, before rolling out to the rest of California then to the rest of the United States.