With the new Apple CarPlay feature, iPhone users may soon be able to pay for gas from the screen in their car without using a credit card.
With the new Apple CarPlay feature, iPhone users may soon be able to pay for gas from the screen in their car without using a credit card. Apple showed off iOS 16 and the next version of CarPlay at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. But iOS 16 is expected to be on a lot of devices this fall, while the next version of CarPlay won’t be widely available for a few years. To support the new features, automakers will have to add new hardware to their cars.
Apple CarPlay is a piece of software for cars that works a lot like Android Auto. It can be used to mirror iPhone apps on a car’s infotainment screen. However, not all iOS apps can be used. Apple Maps, Apple Music, Messages, Podcasts, News, and other apps are some of the ones that can be used. Google Maps, Spotify, WhatsApp, and more third-party apps work with it. CarPlay is supported by almost all major automakers, except Tesla, which doesn’t work with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. But a smart Polish programmer recently found a way to run both kinds of software in Tesla cars with a clever hack. Read More; Samsung Wallet vs Apple Wallet: What’s the Difference?
Reuters says that some U.S. gas station chains are getting ready to take advantage of a new CarPlay feature in iOS 16 that will let people pay for gas through their car’s infotainment screen. This will be possible because iOS 16 adds a new category for Apple CarPlay apps called “Fuel and Driving Tasks.” According to the report, the new category will include apps that help drivers get gas and offer “road information, toll support, and towing help” right from the car’s infotainment center.
Petroleum Refiners Are Already On-Board
HF Sinclair’s senior vice president of marketing, Jack Barger, confirmed to Reuters that the company plans to use the new feature to let customers pay for gas right from their CarPlay-enabled displays. Barger didn’t say much right now, but it said it would share more information in the coming months. Reuters says that HF Sinclair does business in the U.S. through 1,600 gas stations. Read Also; Tesla Hatchback: Flag $25K price, 2023 release
Reuters also talked to Donald Frieden, the CEO of P97 Networks, a mobile commerce company in Houston, about the news. Frieden said that he has also talked to oil companies about making their apps work with CarPlay, but he didn’t say who they are. Reuters also tried to get feedback from BP, Shell, and Chevron about the new Apple CarPlay feature in iOS 16, but none of them replied.
