When my hunger pangs became unbearable, I spent an hour driving a$ 250, 000+ Aston Martin along the coast of Los Angeles, and I asked Siri for a taco spot ( through Apple CarPlay ). But then I did something no other vehicles on the planet allows: I asked Siri to storm the AC and make the air warmer. The first aircraft to feature Apple CarPlay Ultra, the upgraded version of the company’s vehicle technology, was the 2025 Aston Martin DBX I drove.

Last month, Apple unveiled CarPlay Ultra at WWDC 2025, and the Aston Martin DBX this year is the first vehicle to compete with it ( with an iPhone running iOS 18.5 or later ). As I drove the luxury cross around, I fiddled with different features that aren’t available in standard CarPlay, from climate power to tv to checking the pressure on the car’s tires. In the end, Ultra gives more exposure to vehicles systems, which is a good thing.

That brought up a lot of a recent addition that was unveiled at Google I/O in May: Google Built-In, which enables users to manage more of a vehicle’s techniques directly from the software program ( in that case, Android Auto ). When I saw the new Volvo EX90 energy SUV’s Google Built-In demo, I was able to see what Google’s new version of Google software offered: climate control, Gemini AI help, and even warnings about vehicle maintenance issues.

But the title is telling: Google Built-In requires manufacturers to add Android deeper into their cars ‘ inner workings. Relatively speaking, Apple CarPlay Ultra support appears to be relatively simple, requiring car manufacturers to make their vehicles by adding a fairly sophisticated multicore processor that can handle a larger task load. ( Aston Martin’s 2023 and 2024 lineups will be able to add CarPlay Ultra support through firmware updates because they already have sufficiently advanced CPUs. )

Both answers reflect Apple’s and Google’s unique approaches to their next types of car technology. Apple’s lighter weight, which appears to require less effort from the manufacturer to integrate CarPlay Ultra, which will run through a paired phone, into their vehicles ( as long as it has sufficient processing energy onboard ). Google Built-In requires a lot more integration, but it’s so self-sufficient that you can keep your Android phone at home and still use most of its features ( apart from receiving and making calls and messages ). &nbsp,

Driving with Apple CarPlay Ultra: Controlling culture, stereo and more

I could tell what novel features I would remain missing as I retreated to my much more modest daily driver as I drove through Los Angeles in my Aston Martin with Apple CarPlay Ultra. &nbsp,

At long last, I had awaken Siri and ask it to perform a particular song ( or simply a group ) and have it pulled up on Spotify. I asked to move up the air conditioner, and it turned on absolutely everywhere because Apple’s associate today has access to the weather controls. I asked for burritos to be ordered, and it came up with some fast food restaurants. Although it’s not perfect, it at least seems to be listening. &nbsp,

In case the driver prefers traditional controls, Aston Martin retained the physical knobs by the gearshift to control fan speed, temperature, stereo volume, and the car’s myriad roadway options ( like driving assistance ), but almost all of them could also be changed in the interface. Now, things like radio controls ( AM/FM and satellite ) and car settings are nestled in their own recognizable apps in CarPlay’s interface.

In the end, that will be one of CarPlay Ultra’s greatest benefits: you can still be aware of where everything is in a rented car. No tinkering with a car manufacturer’s custom software or trying to figure out where some building or another is located. It’s not a perfect replacement– in the Aston Martin’s case, there were still a handful of settings ( like for ambient light projected when the doors open ) that the luxury automaker controlled, but they were weaved into CarPlay so you could roll opened those windows and go back to Apple’s program without clearly changing applications.

The durable prevalence of Apple’s CarPlay program will likely become even more important as cars swap out their digital equipment clusters for screens, as Aston Martin did. The default panel behind the wheel displays two traditional Aston Martin dials ( one for the meter and one for the RPMs), with Aston Martin’s attire. However, that can be changed for another buttons with personalized colors, from full-screen Maps options, or from other styles.

Each of the half-dozen or but report alternatives was swapped out via circle touchpads smaller than a dime on the vehicle next to the other feel settings. I swiped vertically to move between a central square ( with directions, current music, or other app information ) or horizontally to switch to a different dashboard option on the dual-dial display types. The bottom bar contains all the warning lights that analog car drivers can recognize, which is a good thing because even with digital displays you can’t be safe from the check engine light. &nbsp,

Apple CarPlay Ultra isn’t yet capable of all of my needs. I’d like to ask Siri to unlock specific doors and lock or unlock the windows ( as Google Built-In can ), as well. If Apple is connected to the car enough to be able to read the pressure in each tire, I wish it could link up with the engine readout and be able to tell me in plain language what kind of maintenance issue has sprung up. I wish it could remotely connect to the car and blow the air out before I get inside ( or use the seat warmer as some proprietary car apps can do ). Google Maps support is not included at launch, but it will be later. Apple Maps and Waze will also be.

These aren’t huge deficiencies, and they do show where CarPlay Ultra could better meet driver needs in future updates, notwithstanding the potentially dicey security concerns for using CarPlay Ultra for remote climate or unlocking capabilities. However, it shows where the restrictions are today in comparison to Google’s more in-depth approach.

Deeper car integrations are a feature of Google Built-In, along with Gemini AI, of course.

The day following Google I/O’s keynote speech in May was quieter as attendees swived between briefing sessions and demos of upcoming software. It was the ideal time to check out Google Built-In, which was appropriately shown off in a higher-end Volvo EX90 electric SUV ( though not nearly as pricey as an Aston Martin ). &nbsp,

Google Built-In, as mentioned above, allows users to control the weather through its interface or access other systems, including voice requests, than what I saw in Apple CarPlay Ultra. For instance, it can go beyond AC control to switch on the defroster, and even raise and lower specific windows relative to the speaker’s position: cameras within the car ( in the rearview mirror, if I remember right ) meant that when my demonstrator asked to “roll down this window” pointing over his left shoulder, the correct window rolled down.

Google Built-In is also connected to Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, for what the company is calling” Google Live,” a distinct and more effective version of the current Android Auto assistant experience in cars. I could send a message to a contact in a specific text format, much like I could with Siri, but my demo expanded because the demonstrator asked Gemini to make requests that were more appropriate for generative AI, such as” Give me suggestions for a family outing.” &nbsp,

The demonstrator then asked Gemini for recipe advice–” I have chicken, rice and broccoli in the fridge, what can I make”? — as an example of a query someone might ask after driving home.

Since you are logged into your Google account, Gemini can access any information stored in it, such as emails and messages. It’s also trained on the user manuals from each car-maker, so if a warning light comes on, the driver can ask the voice assistant what it means– no more flipping through a dense manual trying to figure out what each alert means.

Google Built-In has other advantages, such as not having to use your phone for some features. There are also drawbacks, such as the need to update car software, and Google’s need to do more work to ensure cars are protected from bugs or exploits. They can’t just fix it in the most current version of Android– they’ll need to backport that fix to older versions that vehicles might still be on. &nbsp,

Many of the advantages of Apple CarPlay Ultra ( a familiar interface and easier to access features ) are just cranked up to a higher level as a result of this deeper integration with Google Built-In. It surely benefits fans of hands-off controls, and interweaving Gemini naturally dovetails with Google’s investments, so it’s easy to see that functionality improving. However, as the car gets older, a greater reliance on Android in the system may be concerning. Will the software stop being supported? Does it have any security risks or will it slow down? A lot of questions remain regarding making cars open to phone software interfaces.

Watch this: Apple Does Dashboard Display Right When I Use CarPlay Ultra to Drive.

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