WhatsApp Is Officially Coming To Apple CarPlay Soon

After years of limited experiences, it seems Meta switched its strategy for WhatsApp, as recently the app got proper support for the iPad, the Apple Watch, and it's now about to get an official app for Apple CarPlay, one of the most used infotainment platforms for drivers. While you might be thinking you can already use WhatsApp on CarPlay, as the system mirrors the notifications from your iPhone, lets you reply to messages, and has Siri to handle basic hands-free interactions, Meta just released a native version of CarPlay to beta testers.

Even though there's no room for new testers on WhatsApp's TestFlight program, current participants can take advantage of this first build of WhatsApp on Apple CarPlay if they have a vehicle with CarPlay support. At this moment, it's unclear when Meta might be aiming to release WhatsApp for CarPlay, as the Apple Watch beta cycle didn't take much, while the iPad took over a year. That said, this is what you can expect from one of the biggest messaging apps, now coming to your vehicle's display.

According to WABetaInfo, when drivers open the WhatsApp app for CarPlay, they will see a chat list display. Interestingly enough, tapping the names from recent conversations won't open a full chat history, as the main interactive feature is still voice-based. The publication says that the chat list also offers other information about contacts, such as if they're pinned or muted, or when the latest message was shared. If the person the driver wants to talk to isn't in the recent chats, it's also possible to tap the New Message button and then choose someone from the address book to send them a message.

WABetaInfo also shows that when you tap the photo of a person from the Calls tab, you can choose between sending a message using your voice or calling them through WhatsApp. The second tab available is Calls, and it offers a history of all the people you recently called. From there, you can quickly call these people using the app. Last but not least, WhatsApp includes a Favorites tab, which makes it easier to find contacts that matter the most. The behavior is the same from the Chats tab, and you can choose between sending a message or calling that person. At least from the first beta, WhatsApp doesn't offer the ability to send stickers, send a proper voice message, or anything besides these basic interactions within a few taps.

News about WhatsApp testing CarPlay support comes a few days after the company announced several new features being added to the app. For example, WhatsApp made it easier to find and delete large files from any chat, instead of making users go to a specific settings part of the app to manage storage. There's also a new cross-platform chat transfer that makes moving chat history from iOS to Android, or vice-versa, easier, as the company says that it's possible to do that in just a few taps.

Besides that, a long-awaited feature is the ability to have two accounts on one phone on iOS. While this feature has rolled out for Android users already, it's now time for people on iPhones to be able to use a second account on the same WhatsApp app. The company says this is a good way to keep different work and personal accounts separated, while WhatsApp still offers a third option with WhatsApp Business.

Other features include swapping emojis for a sticker that matches the same vibe, photo touch-ups with Meta AI, and even an AI Writing Help feature. After all, since Meta doesn't allow its apps to offer Apple's Writing Tools, it instead brings its own solutions for Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, and more.