Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) today announced the upcoming launch of its next-generation infotainment system, Uconnect 5. The new version of Uconnect has been rebuilt from the ground up on an Android platform with a number of new features including wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, a familiar-yet-revamped user interface, support for up to five user profiles for customization, Alexa support, improved voice control, and more.
Uconnect 5 home screen
We've been fans of the current Uconnect 4 infotainment system and the way it nearly seamlessly blends CarPlay into the native system, and making CarPlay wireless will no doubt make that experience even better. Many of the other improvements in Uconnect 5 such as enhanced customizability, faster hardware performance, and new features and services should also make for a better user experience.
Uconnect 5 user profiles
The award-winning Uconnect system offers new conveniences, keeping customers engaged and informed all while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are currently available on more than 80 percent of FCA's North American applications. Uconnect 5 will bring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to 100 percent of FCA's North American offerings. The feature also adds wireless connectivity, allowing customers to wirelessly project phone apps quick and easy, while leaving phones securely stowed.
Uconnect 5 TomTom navigation
Wireless CarPlay has so far been largely limited to a handful of luxury brands like BMW, Audi, and Porsche, with some aftermarket systems also supporting it, but more mainstream manufacturers are on the verge of adding wireless Carplay as they launch major updates to their infotainment technology. Ford announced last October that its SYNC 4 system will support wireless CarPlay in select vehicles, and now FCA is following suit with its family of brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and more.
FCA has yet to announce exactly when and on which models Uconnect 5 will first launch, but it should start rolling out later this year.
Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years.
iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack)
At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors.
Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report.
iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design
The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too.
2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3
Apple didn't update the...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station.
The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM.
...
Wednesday April 30, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. Epic Games dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to ...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 7:00 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone 18 lineup will introduce a major leap in memory performance, according to new information shared today by Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. Apple is reportedly planning to equip the 2026 models with a high-capacity six-channel LPDDR5X memory configuration, significantly upping the memory bandwidth for future AI features and multitasking.
Expanding the memory bandwidth...
The last thing I want is to be radiated in my own car - especially given research that shows that EMF radiation gets bounced around and amplified within the vehicle. In some cars, I get a pain in my ear from it. Hopefully, the wi-fi component will be a removable module, and one can rip it out.
Assuming the form factor remains the same as previous UConnect gens (8.4"), it's disappointing that it will be limited to newer vehicles only.
The carplay updated UConnect 4 modules are fully compatible with previous year vehicles (speaking specifically about the Jeep Cherokee in this case) and can be purchased through third party sources.
Mazda did a great thing a year back by offering upgrades at the dealership for a few hundred bucks, and no matter how many times I tweeted at Jeep, they never responded on the subject of potentially offering this service. Kind of silly considering the money they're missing out on.
The last thing I want is to be radiated in my own car - especially given research that shows that EMF radiation gets bounced around and amplified within the vehicle. In some cars, I get a pain in my ear from it. Hopefully, the wi-fi component will be a removable module, and one can rip it out.
Ya that’s a good point. Wireless CarPlay would really only be feasible if the car came with a wireless charger. Which is also becoming more commonplace.
Not really. Use Wireless CarPlay for short trips, wired CarPlay for long ones. Wireless CarPlay solves the hassle of getting your phone out and plugging in when you want directions for something a few minutes away.
