Wireless CarPlay Expands to More New Vehicles Amid Rumors of Portless iPhone Next Year

Hyundai continues to expand wireless CarPlay and Android Auto to more of its vehicle models, including the 2021 Elantra, which began arriving to dealerships in the United States and Canada earlier this month. The new Elantra is available with up to two 10.25-inch displays — one for the digital cluster and one for infotainment options like wireless CarPlay.

hyundai elantra wireless carplay

2021 Elantra is available with up to two 10.25-inch displays

Hyundai is also offering wireless CarPlay in 2021 models of the Tucson, Santa Fe, Venue, and Palisade, while Cadillac has introduced wireless CarPlay across virtually its entire 2021 vehicle lineup, as noted by Cadillac Society.

Wireless CarPlay works over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for the iPhone to be connected to the infotainment system with a Lightning cable. The wireless connectivity will soon become more important, as reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously claimed that Apple will introduce at least one high-end iPhone without a Lightning connector in 2021, resulting in the device being completely portless.

Apple has already started transitioning to a wireless ecosystem by removing the headphone jack on iPhones and subsequently releasing AirPods, introducing MagSafe wireless charging and accessories on iPhone 12 models, and so forth.

At this point, it's still unclear if or how a portless iPhone would work with vehicles that use wired CarPlay, beyond the use of aftermarket adapters that seem somewhat hacky and don't work in all vehicles. Apple may offer a solution when a portless iPhone becomes official, or it might come down to waiting for more automakers to adopt wireless CarPlay.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Shares Full List of Over 250 New Features and Changes Coming With iOS 18

Wednesday September 11, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Following its iPhone 16 event on Monday, Apple shared a PDF on its website with a list of all new features and changes coming with iOS 18. The list includes many features that were already announced, including Apple Intelligence, new customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, several enhancements to the Messages app, a Passwords app, and more....
iphone 16 pro models 1

Skipping the iPhone 16 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 17 Pro

Wednesday September 11, 2024 8:20 am PDT by
Will you be skipping the iPhone 16 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 17 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap key new features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: 24MP front camera for all iPhone 17 models: All four iPhone 17 models will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to Apple supply chain analysts Ming-Chi...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Here's When iPhone 16 Pre-Orders Begin in Every Time Zone

Thursday September 12, 2024 6:12 am PDT by
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max are set to begin on Friday, September 13 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with the new devices set to become available in multiple countries around the world simultaneously. We've compiled pre-order times for various countries to help MacRumors readers be among the first to order. This list isn't...
iphone 16 lineup colors

Apple Discontinues iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 13

Monday September 9, 2024 2:09 pm PDT by
With the launch of the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple has discontinued some of its older iPhones. As of today, Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have been replaced with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone SE remains as Apple's most affordable device, with the iPhone 14 and iPhone...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware With Support for iOS 18 Features

Tuesday September 10, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, including both the Lightning and USB-C versions. The firmware has a build number of 7A294, up from 6F8, and it is available for all AirPods Pro 2 users. Apple has been beta testing this update, but it is launching ahead of when iOS 18 becomes available next Monday. There are multiple features that Apple is adding to the...

Top Rated Comments

superlawyer15 Avatar
50 months ago
A portless iphone is a dumb idea. Folks aren't going to go buy a new car just because the new iphone has no ports. What's going to happen is that people will pass on the new phone.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
50 months ago
A portless iPhone would be a negative thing for some iPhone users. I can't speak on percentages, but I'm sure more than a few people sync things manually from their Mac. It would take a really long time to sync vast amounts of of data wirelessly.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RoadWarrior56 Avatar
50 months ago
A portless iPhone would be a deal breaker for me. Please Apple, no more courage!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rosalindavenue Avatar
50 months ago
Portless iPhone is a terrible idea, especially now that the magsafe charging is revealed as slow. This would be the bst way to guarantee that poeple who charge their phones and CarPlay users hold on to their current iPhone for 4 or 5 years instead of upgrading.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rosalindavenue Avatar
50 months ago

Or I don't know... Maybe buy a Wireless QI charger for the car? I've been using one since the first iPhone that supported Qi came out.
Unless there is some new tech, a charger isn't going to do anything to connect to wired CarPlay.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) Avatar
50 months ago
CarPlay Wireless is nice but it does eat battery. Need to have it on the charger if you don't want to be significantly drained by the time you get to your destination.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)